Ice versus fire - the 21st century version

Who's got the advantage?

The Nasser hospital in southern Gaza has said 24 people have been killed near an aid distribution site.

Palestinians who were present at the site said Israeli troops opened fire as people were trying to access food on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said there were "no known injured individuals" from IDF fire near the site.

Separately, an Israeli military official said warning shots were fired to disperse people who the IDF believed were a threat.

The claims by both sides have not been independently verified. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza.

Footage seen by the BBC later on Saturday showed what appeared to be a number of body bags at Nasser hospital's courtyard surrounded by nurses and people in blood-stained clothes.

In another video, a man said people were waiting to get aid when they came under targeted fire for five minutes. A paramedic accused Israeli troops of killing in cold blood.

The videos have not been verified by the BBC.

Reuters said it had spoken to witnesses who described people being shot in the head and torso. The news agency also reported seeing bodies wrapped in white shrouds at Nasser hospital.

There have been almost daily reports of people being killed by Israeli fire while seeking food in Gaza.

Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip in March, and later resumed its military offensive against Hamas, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the Palestinian armed group to release Israeli hostages.

Although the blockade was partially eased in late May, amid warnings of a looming famine from global experts, there are still severe shortages of food, as well as medicine and fuel.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, says there are thousands of malnourished children across the territory, with more cases detected every day.

In addition to allowing in some UN aid lorries, Israel and the US set up a new aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), saying they wanted to prevent Hamas from stealing aid.

On Friday, the UN human rights office said that it had so far recorded 798 aid-related killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF's sites, which are operated by US private security contractors and located inside military zones in southern and central Gaza.

The other 183 killings were recorded near UN and other aid convoys.

The Israeli military said it recognised there had been incidents in which civilians had been harmed and that it was working to minimise "possible friction between the population and the [Israeli] forces as much as possible".

The GHF accused the UN of using "false and misleading" statistics from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Earlier this month, a former security contractor for the GHF told the BBC he witnessed colleagues opening fire several times on hungry Palestinians who had posed no threat. The GHF said the allegations were categorically false.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,823 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

No burial records. No headstones. No memorials.

Nothing until 2014, when an amateur historian uncovered evidence of a mass grave, potentially in a former sewage tank, believed to contain hundreds of babies in Tuam, County Galway, in the west of Ireland.

Now, investigators have moved their diggers onto the nondescript patch of grass next to a children's playground on a housing estate in the town. An excavation, expected to last two years, will begin on Monday.

The area was once where St Mary's children's home stood, a church-run institution that housed thousands of women and children between 1925 and 1961.

Many of the women had fallen pregnant outside of marriage and were shunned by their families - and separated from their children after giving birth.

According to death records, Patrick Derrane was the first baby to die at St Mary's – in 1915, aged five months. Mary Carty, the same age, was the last in 1960.

In the 35 years between their deaths, another 794 babies and young children are known to have died there - and it is believed they are buried in what former Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Enda Kenny dubbed a "chamber of horrors".

PJ Haverty spent the first six years of his life in the place he calls a prison - but he considers himself one of the lucky ones.

"I got out of there."

He remembers how the "home children", as they were known, were shunned at school.

"We had to go 10 minutes late and leave 10 minutes early, because they didn't want us talking to the other kids," PJ said.

"Even at break-time in the school, we weren't allowed to play with them – we were cordoned off.

"You were dirt from the street."

Read more from the survivors, relatives and campaigners who helped reveal the secret of Tuam after a decades-long wait for the truth.

The stigma stayed with PJ his whole life, even after finding a loving foster home and, in later years, tracking down his birth mother, who was separated from him when he was a one-year-old.

The home, run by the nuns of the Bon Secours Sisters, was an invisible spectre that loomed over him and many others in Tuam for decades – until amateur historian Catherine Corliss brought St Mary's dark past into the light.

Discovering the mass grave

Interested in delving into her family's past, Catherine took a local history course in 2005. Later, her interest turned to St Mary's and the "home children" who came to school separately from her and her classmates.

"When I started out, I had no idea what I was going to find."

To begin with, Catherine was surprised her innocuous inquiries were being met with blank responses or even suspicion.

"Nobody was helping, and nobody had any records," she said.

That only fed her determination to find out more about the children at the home.

A breakthrough came when she spoke to a cemetery caretaker, who brought her to the housing estate where the institution once stood.

At the side of a children's playground, there was a square of lawn with a grotto – a small shrine centred on a statue of Mary.

The caretaker told Catherine that two boys had been playing in that area in the mid-1970s after the home was demolished, and had come across a broken concrete slab. They pulled it up to reveal a hole.

Inside they saw bones. The caretaker said the authorities were told and the spot was covered up.

People believed the remains were from the Irish Famine in the 1840s. Before the mother-and-baby home, the institution was a famine-era workhouse where many people had died.

But that didn't add up for Catherine. She knew those people had been buried respectfully in a field half a mile away - there was a monument marking the spot.

Her suspicion was further raised when she compared old maps of the site. One, from 1929, labelled the area the boys found the bones as a "sewage tank". Another, from the 1970s after the home was demolished, had a handwritten note next to that area saying "burial ground".

The map did seem to indicate there was a grave at the site – and Catherine had read the sewage tank labelled on the map had become defunct in 1937 so, in theory, was empty. But who was buried there?

Catherine called the registration office for births, deaths and marriages in Galway and asked for the names of all the children who had died at the home.

A fortnight later a sceptical member of staff called to ask if she really wanted them all – Catherine expected "20 or 30" - but there were hundreds.

The full list, when Catherine received it, recorded 796 dead children.

She was utterly shocked. Her evidence was starting to indicate who was likely to be underneath that patch of grass at St Mary's.

But first, she checked burial records to see if any of those hundreds of children were buried in cemeteries in Galway or neighbouring County Mayo – and couldn't find any.

Without excavation, Catherine couldn't prove it beyond doubt. She now believed that hundreds of children had been buried in an unmarked mass grave, possibly in a disused sewage tank, at the St Mary's Home.

When her findings broke into an international news story in 2014, there was considerable hostility in her home town.

"People weren't believing me," she recalled. Many cast doubt - and scorn - that an amateur historian could uncover such an enormous scandal.

But there was a witness who had seen it with her own eyes.

Warning: The following sections contains details some readers might find distressing

Mary Moriarty lived in one of the houses near the site of the institution in the mid-1970s. Shortly after she spoke to BBC News, she passed away, but her family have agreed to allow what she told us to be published and broadcast.

Mary recalled two women coming to her in the early 1970s saying "they saw a young fella with a skull on a stick".

Mary and her neighbours asked the child where he had found the skull. He showed them some shrubbery and Mary, who went to look, "fell in a hole".

Light streamed in from where she had fallen. That's when she saw "little bundles", wrapped in cloths that had gone black from rot and damp, and were "packed one after the other, in rows up to the ceiling".

How many?

"Hundreds," she replied.

Some time later, when Mary's second son was born in the maternity hospital in Tuam, he was brought to her by the nuns who worked there "in all these bundles of cloths" - just like those she had seen in that hole.

"That's when I copped on," Mary says, "what I had seen after I fell down that hole were babies."

In 2017, Catherine's findings were confirmed - an Irish government investigation found "significant quantities of human remains" in a test excavation of the site.

The bones were not from the famine and the "age-at-death range" was from about 35 foetal weeks to two or three years.

By now, a campaign was under way for a full investigation of the site - Anna Corrigan was among those who wanted the authorities to start digging.

Until she was in her 50s, Anna believed she was an only child. But, when researching her family history in 2012, she discovered her mother had given birth to two boys in the home in 1946 and 1950, John and William.

Anna was unable to find a death certificate for William, but did find one for John – it officially registers his death at 16 months. Under cause of death it listed "congenital idiot" and "measles".

An inspection report of the home in 1947 had some more details about John.

"He was born normal and healthy, almost nine pounds (4kg) in weight," Anna said. "By the time he's 13 months old, he's emaciated with a voracious appetite, and has no control over bodily functions.

"Then he's dead three months later."

An entry from the institution's book of "discharges" says William died in 1951 – she does not know where either is buried.

Anna, who set up the Tuam Babies Family Group for survivors and relatives, said the children have been given a voice.

"We all know their names. We all know they existed as human beings."

Now, the work begins to find out the full extent of what lies beneath that patch of grass in Tuam.

'Absolutely tiny'

The excavation is expected to take about two years.

"It's a very challenging process – really a world-first," said Daniel MacSweeney, the head of the operation, who has helped find missing bodies in conflict zones such as Afghanistan.

He explained that the remains would have been mixed together and that an infant's femur - the body's largest bone - is only the size of an adult's finger.

"They're absolutely tiny," he said. "We need to recover the remains very, very carefully – to maximise the possibility of identification."

The difficulty of identifying the remains "can't be underestimated", he added.

For however long it takes, there will be people like Anna waiting for news - hoping to hear about sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and cousins they never had the chance to meet.

Details of help and support with child bereavement are available in the UK at BBC Action Line

For years, from behind a computer screen, Erin Patterson built up a reputation in an online true crime community as a "super sleuth".

Today, she herself has become a true crime obsession.

When three people died – and another fell gravely ill - after eating toxic-mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons at her home in rural Victoria two years ago, her entire life was put under a microscope.

Journalists have descended from around the world to cover her lengthy murder trial, spectators have queued daily to nab a spot in the courtroom, and thousands of people have picked apart details of the case online.

But, despite a jury earlier this week finding her guilty on all charges, the frenzy of speculation and depth of fascination has only intensified.

"It has shades of Macbeth," criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told the BBC.

It was in one of Australia's smallest courtrooms that its biggest trial in recent history took place.

Over 11 weeks, seven documentary-making teams cast their lens on the tiny town of Morwell. Podcasters here were a dime a dozen. Journalists vied for the six seats reserved for media inside the court each day. Even one of Australia's best-loved authors, Helen Garner, frequently dropped by the Latrobe Valley Law Courts, fuelling rumours that she is preparing to write another best-seller.

Waiting with the sea of tripods outside the building most mornings of the trial was a queue of camp chairs.

Come rain, frost or fog, court watchers – predominantly women, often rugged up in beanies and encased in sleeping bags – watched for the moment the glass doors would open.

Once inside, they would lay a line of belongings – scarves, water bottles, notepads, bags – outside the courtroom entry to reserve their spot.

Tammy Egglestone commuted for more than an hour to reach Morwell most days of the trial. "I'm a bit of a true crime fanatic," she explains.

She was in court when it heard evidence that Patterson was once just like her.

Patterson had been an active member in a Facebook group focussed on the crimes of Keli Lane, a woman who was found guilty of killing her two-day-old daughter in one of Australia's most notorious cases.

In 2018, Lane became the subject of a major podcast after writing to a journalist claiming to have been wrongly convicted and begging her to investigate.

At Patterson's trial, one of her online friends Christine Hunt said she was renowned among her peers for her nimble researching and tech skills.

"She was a bit of a super sleuth," she said. "She was highly regarded in that group."

But as her case unfolded in Morwell, Patterson was also put on trial in the court of public opinion.

She became water-cooler talk in workplaces around the country, gossip among friend groups, and the ultimate topic of debate online.

Thousands of people theorised over a motive for the crime, provided commentary on bits of evidence, and even alleged corrupt forces were behind the case – much of the discussion unfounded, almost all of it in breach of laws designed to give defendants a fair trial.

Memes filled social media feeds. On Google Maps, someone created a restaurant listing at Patterson's home address. Others shared trial bingo cards they had created for those following it closely.

Throughout the week the jury was considering their verdict, sequestered in a hotel to protect them from the maelstrom, the question everyone had was: what were they thinking?

"What are they doing in there?" one lawyer was overheard asking in a Morwell café on day four of deliberations.

With jury members bound by strict secrecy requirements, we will never know.

"In the US, they can interview jurors after a trial," criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told the BBC. "We can't get into the heads of jurors in Australia… so it's really hard to know what they're thinking has been and why they've come to that conclusion."

That leaves a massive vacuum for members of the public to fill with their speculation.

People like Ms Egglestone pondered: if the poisoning was intended to kill, wouldn't Patterson have planned and executed it better?

"I've come in here [as] Switzerland," Ms Egglestone clarified, calling the discourse around the case "very pitchforky".

"You know, [it's] she's guilty, she's guilty, she's guilty.

"And a lot of them are using hindsight reasoning. 'If I was in that situation, I wouldn't do this, this and this.' Well, you don't know what you would do in that situation."

But people like her were drowned out by the hordes proclaiming Patterson guilty.

Many said it was her lies that convinced them. Some claimed the evidence showed a clear lack of empathy and concern for those who died.

"What really gave her away was wearing white pants when she had 'gastro' and needed to go to hospital for it!" one person posted, referring to CCTV footage of her movements in the days after the lunch, which was played at the trial.

Already, the case has inspired a television special, a silver screen drama series, a bevy of podcasts, several documentaries and a handful of books.

"It has those typical cliché things that make true crime sell," Ms Egglestone said, explaining why she and flocks of others have become obsessed with the case.

"The fact that she did take out family members... [she's] white, female, financially stable, you know. And they're all church people."

For David Peters, seemingly benign circumstances surrounding the crime – and the fact it was in his local area – drew him in: "The fact that it was a family sitting down to do something you would consider to be safe - have a meal - and then the consequences of that meal..."

Several people tell the BBC the case reminds them of the frenzy over Lindy Chamberlain's notorious trial in 1982. She was falsely convicted of murder after her infant daughter Azaria was taken from an outback campsite by a dingo.

It's no coincidence that both of those cases centre around women, criminology researcher Brandy Cochrane tells the BBC.

The world has long been fascinated by women who kill – in no small part because it contradicts their traditional "caring" gender role, they explain.

Those stereotypes also cast a shadow on Patterson's time in court.

"She's expected to act in a particular way, and she's not," says Dr Cochrane, a lecturer at Victoria University.

"It's like, 'Oh, obviously she's guilty, she's not crying the whole time' or 'Obviously she's guilty, she's lied about this'. The legal system in and of itself treats women very differently."

Away from the ghoulish spectre of the trial, there's anger – albeit dwindling – among the communities where the victims are from over the way the case has been dissected, local councillor Nathan Hersey tells the BBC.

Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson were respected and adored by many in the South Gippsland region, he says, but it feels like they've been forgotten.

"This has been an extremely high-profile case that's brought a lot of attention, often unwanted through to our local community.

"[And] some people haven't had that humanity… they've certainly lost focus that for people, there is a loss, there is grief."

The cost of all-inclusive package holidays to some of the most popular destinations has soared, prompting people to get creative to save money.

BBC News has been speaking to people who have used money-saving hacks to slash the price of their summer getaways.

If there are issues you would like to see covered, you can get in touch via Your Voice, Your BBC News.

'We booked two days before'

Laura Strang, 25, from Oban, Scotland saves money by booking at the last minute.

She even booked her honeymoon just two days before they flew.

"We got married on the 21st of June and waited until the 23rd of June to book a holiday for June 25th.

"We had two weeks in Mexico because it was cheaper than two weeks in Europe."

Laura and her husband Sam Gledhill, 27, paid £1,200 each for 14 nights all-inclusive in Cancun.

"I would say we saved thousands of pounds, based on reviews," she says.

"Ten nights in Spain was coming up the same or more expensive. It's a 10-hour flight over to Mexico so it's a little bit crazy, that."

She says she and her husband have previously booked holidays within a few days of flying to Tenerife, Salou and Marrakesh and have saved money each time.

"Choosing not to go all-inclusive can save money but that depends on the country," says Laura.

"We found Mexico quite expensive when going out and about [so all-inclusive made sense], but you could probably save money in Spain by going half board."

'We travel off-peak and look for kids go free places'

Nathan Hart and his fiancee Cassie Farrelly estimate they saved £3,300 by searching for a holiday that offered a free child's place and going outside school holidays.

They have booked a 10-day all-inclusive holiday in Spain's Balearic Islands at the end of September with their three-year-old twin daughters Alba and Luna.

The couple from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales recommend using the filter option on some of the biggest travel agency websites.

"When searching you can see which places offer one free child place, choose a range of locations and sort by lowest price," says Nathan.

"We found an exceptional hotel for £800 per person plus one free child place, so that's already an £800 saving.

"As well as that, on the booking page you can see a calendar showing the difference in price for the holiday on different dates."

Nathan says when he compared the same holiday in August it was double the price.

"That would have been completely unaffordable for us.

"I now completely understand why parents with older kids travel inside school term time and it's absolutely something we will have to consider when our girls are older."

Parents who take their children out of school for holidays during term time risk being fined, and repeat offenders could face prosecution.

'I swapped my London flat for a Spanish villa'

May Burrough works in central London. But her flat is too small to have lots of people to stay, so last October she invited some close friends to a five-bedroomed villa with a pool on the Costa Brava, Spain.

She estimates it would normally have cost around £3,500 to rent a house like that. But she used a home-swapping site and only paid €100 (£85) - for the cleaning fee - plus around £250 on transport.

Although she saved money on the villa, May and her friends did splash out on food and drink, such as oysters and wine from the region.

"We really had a lush time at the house because we were like, 'well, we're not paying for the accommodation!'"

Because finding someone to do a straight swap with can often be tricky, the Home Exchange site she uses allows her to earn credits by letting people stay in her one-bedroom flat, and then spend them elsewhere.

"It does take a bit of effort. I put valuables away, you have to change the bedsheets, cleaning every time. But it is fully worth it," says May.

She says the site is a bit clunky to use, but she loves what it allows her to do, for an annual fee of around £170.

Recently she booked a one-night stay in Vienne, France so she could go to a concert.

"A hotel was going to be mega-expensive. So I booked a room in someone's home and left in the morning."

'I use my credit card to get loyalty points for flights'

Ebrahim Paruk, 35, from Nuneaton near Coventry in Warwickshire saves money on flights by saving up Virgin Atlantic credit card points.

He does his best to collect as many points as possible.

"I pay for everything I can with the card," he says, including his bills, weekly petrol, and weekly groceries.

"These are day-to-day necessities that you have to buy, so you might as well get a reward," he says.

Describing himself as "the biggest football fan you will probably ever find", he started doing it as a way of going to the major international tournaments.

The best saving he made with the points was a return flight to Düsseldorf to watch Germany v Denmark in the 2024 Euros - he saved £400 on his £800 flight.

To add to the saving, he won the match ticket and hotel accommodation in a competition, meaning the whole trip cost him a total of £500.

Now he uses the same method to save money when booking holidays for him and his wife.

'I house sit and get to see the US'

Annmaree Bancroft is a single mum of a three-year-old and has been house sitting with him 11 times.

Their first time was looking after two dogs for a week in a house in Scarsdale outside New York City.

This year they will be going back there for a few days, this time as friends of the homeowner. Then they will stay on for three more weeks in the US, without paying for any overnight accommodation, thanks to further housesitting stints in Connecticut and Brooklyn.

The cost of the holiday will be the £1,435 she is spending on flights, plus travel between cities and spending money.

"A lot of parents think that once you have a child, you can't travel," says Annmaree.

"That is just not true. There are these alternative ways now to travel and make it affordable."

If you do choose to house sit, it is recommended that you use a reputable site. Annmaree uses the online platform Trusted Housesitters, which charges a membership fee for sitters of £99 to £199 a year.

'We're staycationing in the UK'

House sitting may also be an option for those choosing not to go abroad.

Kayleigh Pennel-Price lives with her partner, two children, aged two and four months, and their golden retriever Kofi in Wiltshire.

She had looked into a family holiday through the traditional means but calculated that it would cost around £3,000 to go on a foreign holiday for a week.

Instead, the whole family is going house sitting in a small village in Buckinghamshire for two weeks.

They will be staying in a home with a sauna, swimming pool and a private woodland, to look after two Yorkshire terriers, booked through the website HouseSit Match.

"We mostly plan to just stay there," says Kayleigh, who thinks the whole trip could cost £250.

"We love both abroad and UK holidays, but we don't like to leave our dog," she says. "And with the two babies, abroad is a little harder."

Love Island is back for its 12th series - and it's not just the villa that's had an upgrade.

After falling audience figures in recent years, the number of us tuning in is returning to series eight levels - the year that delivered Love Island icons like Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, Indiyah Polack and Tasha Ghouri.

But if daily episodes are our type on paper, social media is the bombshell that's turning heads.

Figures from ITV shared with BBC Newsbeat suggest the series' growth on socials is outstripping the success it's having on TV.

Analysis by the BBC found that Love Island's official accounts had gained 1.8m followers since the start of 2025, with 1m of those on TikTok.

Ex-islander Diamanté Laiv tells BBC Newsbeat the short-form updates are much more appealing than committing to the nightly TV show.

"I'm a very busy person, so I don't really have the time to sit down every day for an hour and just watch people kiss," she says.

Diamanté, who appeared in series 11, says she's not surprised millions are keeping up to date on their phone.

"It's more popular online because everybody's online, it's easily accessible. Every 10 scrolls on TikTok is something Love Island-related, so you can't really avoid it."

She's not alone in staying away from streaming the episodes in full.

While the first episode of series 12 was watched by 2.6m people - almost double 2023's low of 1.3m - the numbers are still a long way off Love Island's 2019 heyday, when 6m of us tuned in to see Amber Gill and Greg O Shea voted most popular couple.

But that's still a fraction of the 13m following various official accounts online.

On TikTok there's been an explosion in Love Island content - with view counts for individual clips outstripping viewing figures for whole episodes.

Dramatic or funny moments from the show proper tend to perform well, but reactions, analysis, and debriefs - where content creators recap whole episodes in a few minutes - also notch up big numbers.

According to data gathered by the BBC there have been more than 87,000 TikTok uploads with a Love Island or Love Island UK hashtag so far in 2025.

For the whole of 2024, the same data suggests that figure was just below 40,000.

Anthony, better known as "giletslays", is one of many content creators who have been feeding that growth.

He's been making videos about the latest series for his 170,000 followers, and some of his Love Island takes have had millions of views.

Anthony says the real draw of Love Island has always been the discourse on social media.

But to take part you need to be up to date, and a nightly show can feel like too much of a long-term commitment for some.

"Sometimes if people miss a couple of episodes they feel they're too far behind to catch up," says Anthony.

Super-fan Harriet Fisher, who's been watching Love Island since series one, agrees TikTok has become the go-to place for updates.

She says the US version of the show, which has overlapped with the UK edition this year, is "popping off" on the app, and believes this has boosted interest in Love Island overall.

"The way that people are engaging with reality TV and Love Island in general is obviously changing," she says.

"It needs TikTok and social media to survive, to gain viewers.

"It shows that viewers of old can stay engaged, but also get those new viewers in."

But those new viewers are forming a very different relationship with the contestants, Diamanté warns.

Traditionally, audiences have spent whole series getting to know islanders over one-hour episodes.

Even then, contestants have never been shy about blaming selective editing for making them look bad.

But on social media, with character arcs compressed into bite-sized clips, Diamanté worries fans aren't getting the full picture.

"Conversations are being pulled and tweaked so I feel like it makes it even more orchestrated," she says. "It kind of takes the reality out of the reality TV."

Grace Henry, Cosmopolitan's acting entertainment and lifestyle director, agrees that watching the show via social media fundamentally changes the experience.

"We have to be mindful that these are short clips and clips can be taken out of context," she says.

"We're never going to see the full picture of how someone is and things change very quickly in there."

But Grace thinks online notoriety could work in aspiring reality stars' favour - even if it means audiences spend less time with them.

She singles out Yasmin Pettet, nicknamed YasGPT online, as one islander who's been able to connect with audiences this year.

Videos of Yas giving posture lessons have been viewed more than a million times on TikTok and gained tens of thousands of likes on Instagram.

"We will still have those people and we will have a connection to them, but they will just come around differently," says Grace.

"It will be based on viral moments and whether they do something big that becomes a meme or a social media moment."

Diamanté agrees and thinks social clips might even be a better way to build a following than being popular on the series.

As well as reaching more people, she says "more brands are seeing it and that's the aim of the game".

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

Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been barred from European stages ever since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A close ally of Vladimir Putin for many years, the director of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Russian state theatres has never spoken out against the war.

But a region of southern Italy has now invited Gergiev back to Europe, signalling the artist's rehabilitation even as Russia's attacks on Ukraine intensify.

Vincenzo de Luca, who runs the Campania region, insists that the concert at the Un'Estate da RE festival later this month will go ahead despite a growing swell of criticism.

"Culture… must not be influenced by politics and political logic," De Luca said in a livestream on Friday. "We do not ask these men to answer for the choices made by politicians."

The 76-year-old local leader has previously called Europe's broad veto on pro-Putin artists "a moment of stupidity – a moment of madness" at the start of the war and announced that he was "proud" to welcome Gergiev to town.

But Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, has told the BBC that allowing Gergiev's return is "absolutely unacceptable".

She calls the star conductor a "cultural mouthpiece for Putin and his crimes".

Ukrainian human rights activist and Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk said the invitation by the regional government was "hypocrisy", rather than neutrality.

Russian opposition activists have also condemned the director's sudden return. The Anti-Corruption Foundation, of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, wants his concert cancelled and is calling on Italy's interior ministry to ban Gergiev's entry to the country.

Before Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, the virtuoso Gergiev was a regular visitor to stages in Italy and across Europe, despite his closeness to Putin.

His long and illustrious career includes stints at the London Symphony Orchestra and Munich Philharmonic.

But the invitations to Europe stopped abruptly on 24 February 2022.

Hours before the first Russian missiles were launched at Ukraine, Gergiev was on stage at Milan's La Scala opera house. Urged then by the city's mayor to speak out against the war, Gergiev chose silence.

He was promptly dropped from the bill.

Abandoned by his manager, despite calling Gergiev "the greatest conductor alive", he was then fired as chief conductor in Munich and removed from concert schedules across the continent.

That's why the invitation from Italy is so controversial.

Pina Picierno, who is from the Campania region herself, says her call to stop the event is not Russophobic.

"There is no shortage of brilliant Russian artists who choose to disassociate themselves from Putin's criminal policies," she told the BBC.

The European MP, who says she has received threats for her work exposing Russia's hybrid warfare, warns that allowing Gergiev to perform would be both wrong and dangerous.

"This is not about censorship. Gergiev is part of a deliberate Kremlin strategy. He is one of their cultural envoys to soften Western public opinion. This is part of their war."

The cultural controversy erupted in a week when Italy was hosting heads of state from all over Europe to reaffirm their support for Ukraine and discuss how to rebuild the country once the war is over.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been a strong and consistent critic of Vladimir Putin from the start. But her culture ministry is one of the backers of Un'Estate da RE, which has invited Gergiev.

A senior MP from Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, Alfredo Antoniozzi, has described Gergiev as "simply a great artist".

"If Russians have to pay for the mistakes of their president, then we are committing a kind of cultural genocide," he argued.

Last month, Canada formally barred Gergiev from entry and declared it would freeze any assets.

But the European Union has shied away from formal sanctions against the conductor, who has avoided voicing open support for the war.

Gergiev has been a vocal supporter of Putin since the 1990s, later campaigning for his re-election and backing Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.

He was handed management of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, in addition to the Mariinsky Theatre, taking over from a director who signed an open letter against Russia's war.

Gergiev is a state employee, but in 2022 an investigation by Alexei Navalny's team uncovered properties in several Italian cities that they say he never declared.

They also alleged he used donations to a charitable fund to pay for his own lavish lifestyle.

The activists argued that was Gergiev's reward for his public loyalty to Putin.

The BBC has so far been unable to reach the conductor for comment.

A spokeswoman for the European Commission, Eva Hrncirova, has clarified that the Un'Estate da RE festival is not receiving EU cash: it is financed by Italy's own "cohesion funds".

But she added that the commission urged European stages not to give space "to artists who support the war of aggression in Ukraine".

In Campania, the artistic director who crafted this year's festival programme declined to comment. A spokesman was confident Gergiev's performance would go ahead, though – despite the controversy.

"Yes," he assured the BBC. "For sure."

Additional reporting from Rome by Davide Ghiglione.

Northern Ireland and Scotland will see temperatures soar as the UK's third heatwave of the year spreads across the country.

Scotland is likely to see its warmest day of the year with temperatures of up to 31C. Northern Ireland could potentially the mercury rise above 29.5C - the highest recorded temperature so far this year.

For England and Wales, temperatures are expected to be widely in the high 20s to low 30s with the south-west Midlands and south-east Wales predicted to see the hottest temperatures.

However, for eastern parts of England, an easterly breeze will bring slightly cooler temperatures though most areas will still meet heatwave thresholds.

• How to sleep in the heat
• What are UV levels and how can you protect yourself?
• What should you look for when choosing sunscreen?
• What does hot weather do to the body?

On Friday, Astwood Bank in the West Midlands recorded the highest temperature of 34.7C.

Amber heat health alerts for southern England, the Midlands, and East Anglia will remain in place until Monday, the UK Health Security Agency said.

Less severe yellow warnings remain in place for northern England, while Scotland and Northern Ireland face warnings of wildfires on Saturday and Sunday.

Yellow weather alerts are issued during periods that are only likely to affect those who are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly, and those with existing health conditions.

Amber alerts are issued in situations that could put the whole population at risk.

For the thousands expected to attend the Wimbledon finals this weekend, temperatures in south-west London will remain high on Saturday and are expected to reach 30C, possibly 32C in some areas, according the Met Office.

Sunday will see a slight dip to 29C in daytime highs, but the heat will remain with a chance of some places around London seeing 30C or above.

This year, Wimbledon has faced some of the hottest temperatures in its 148-year history and has a heat rule in place for all singles matches.

The men's singles semi-final on Friday between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz was stopped twice in less than five minutes due to fans in the crowd requiring medical attention.

Temperatures on Centre Court reached a sweltering 32C on Friday.

Tournament organisers have added more free water refill points on the grounds and increased reminders for fans to take sun precautions and seek shade.

Fire chiefs have also warned people of the increased risk of drowning when trying to keep cool, urging parents to supervise their children at all times around the water.

Dry and hot conditions also make wildfires a crucial concern, with the risk currently rated at "severe" in London by the Natural Hazards Partnership.

"Our experience tells us that wildfires can start in an instant and escalate rapidly. That's why we're asking everyone to stay alert and act responsibly," the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) chairman Phil Garrigan said.

National Rail has warned commuters of possible disruption to travel this weekend as overhead power lines and rails could be affected by the heat.

On Friday, more than seven million people across England and Wales were affected by hosepipe bans, restricting activities including watering of gardens, cleaning cars and filling paddling pools.

The heatwave will be over for most on Monday as cooler Atlantic air spreads, bringing cloud and some showers to northern and western areas.

Scientists warn that extreme weather conditions are made more likely as a result of manmade climate change.

Swiatek becomes an all-court great

'Special moment' for Swiatek but Anisimova 'froze'

Northern Ireland and Scotland will see temperatures soar as the UK's third heatwave of the year spreads across the country.

Scotland is likely to see its warmest day of the year with temperatures of up to 31C. Northern Ireland could potentially the mercury rise above 29.5C - the highest recorded temperature so far this year.

For England and Wales, temperatures are expected to be widely in the high 20s to low 30s with the south-west Midlands and south-east Wales predicted to see the hottest temperatures.

However, for eastern parts of England, an easterly breeze will bring slightly cooler temperatures though most areas will still meet heatwave thresholds.

• How to sleep in the heat
• What are UV levels and how can you protect yourself?
• What should you look for when choosing sunscreen?
• What does hot weather do to the body?

On Friday, Astwood Bank in the West Midlands recorded the highest temperature of 34.7C.

Amber heat health alerts for southern England, the Midlands, and East Anglia will remain in place until Monday, the UK Health Security Agency said.

Less severe yellow warnings remain in place for northern England, while Scotland and Northern Ireland face warnings of wildfires on Saturday and Sunday.

Yellow weather alerts are issued during periods that are only likely to affect those who are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly, and those with existing health conditions.

Amber alerts are issued in situations that could put the whole population at risk.

For the thousands expected to attend the Wimbledon finals this weekend, temperatures in south-west London will remain high on Saturday and are expected to reach 30C, possibly 32C in some areas, according the Met Office.

Sunday will see a slight dip to 29C in daytime highs, but the heat will remain with a chance of some places around London seeing 30C or above.

This year, Wimbledon has faced some of the hottest temperatures in its 148-year history and has a heat rule in place for all singles matches.

The men's singles semi-final on Friday between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz was stopped twice in less than five minutes due to fans in the crowd requiring medical attention.

Temperatures on Centre Court reached a sweltering 32C on Friday.

Tournament organisers have added more free water refill points on the grounds and increased reminders for fans to take sun precautions and seek shade.

Fire chiefs have also warned people of the increased risk of drowning when trying to keep cool, urging parents to supervise their children at all times around the water.

Dry and hot conditions also make wildfires a crucial concern, with the risk currently rated at "severe" in London by the Natural Hazards Partnership.

"Our experience tells us that wildfires can start in an instant and escalate rapidly. That's why we're asking everyone to stay alert and act responsibly," the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) chairman Phil Garrigan said.

National Rail has warned commuters of possible disruption to travel this weekend as overhead power lines and rails could be affected by the heat.

On Friday, more than seven million people across England and Wales were affected by hosepipe bans, restricting activities including watering of gardens, cleaning cars and filling paddling pools.

The heatwave will be over for most on Monday as cooler Atlantic air spreads, bringing cloud and some showers to northern and western areas.

Scientists warn that extreme weather conditions are made more likely as a result of manmade climate change.

Forty-two arrests have been made in London at a protest against Palestine Action being proscribed a terror group, the Metropolitan Police has said.

The force said 41 arrests were made on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organisation, with one person also arrested for common assault.

Palestine Action was proscribed by the government under the Terrorism Act 2000 as of last Saturday, meaning membership of or support for the group is a criminal offence.

Twenty-nine people were arrested at a similar protest in London last weekend.

Two groups of protesters were seen gathering in Parliament Square shortly after 13:00 BST on Saturday.

Some individuals were seen holding placards bearing the words: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action."

Demonstrators were also seen lying on top of each other while police officers searched bags, taking ID cards and handmade signs.

Police were seen carrying some of the protesters away and led others into police vans - with the last protester being removed from the Nelson Mandela statue just after 14:30 BST.

The move to proscribe Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were sprayed with paint by activists who broke into RAF Brize Norton in June - an incident for which the group claimed responsibility.

Campaign group Defend Our Juries, which said it had organised the London protest, said other demonstrations were happening in the UK today including in Manchester and Cardiff.

It wasn't exactly a run-of-the-mill royal occasion.

In the sunny gardens of the Highgrove estate, I stood in a circle with King Charles and an eclectic group who were attending his first "Harmony Summit".

We raised our arms in honour of nature as we stood around a fire, which was burning within a ring of flowers.

Presiding over the fire ceremony, in which we rotated as we honoured the north, south, east and west and then Mother Earth, was an Indigenous leader - an Earth Elder - wearing a headdress and a dazzling robe of blue feathers.

A conch shell was blown. Butterflies flew around the flowers. And, in a concession to modernity, as well as holding up feathers in a blessing for the King, the elder was reading his incantations from an iPhone.

There were people reaching to the sky, wearing colourful face paint and elaborate necklaces, while I held my palms up self-consciously, melting in my M&S suit.

The summit was a celebration the King's philosophy of harmony with nature - an inaugural event that the King's Foundation hopes will become a regular gathering.

It brought together representatives from Indigenous peoples, including from tribes in the Amazon, along with environmentalists, climate campaigners, organic farmers, herbalists, educators, crafts people and philanthropists.

For good measure, there was Dwight from the US version of The Office, or at least actor Rainn Wilson, a director of a climate change group.

There were other visitors from Amazon too. A film crew from Amazon Prime, making a documentary for next year, who were poring over every moment as the sacred smoke coiled up over the apple trees in Gloucestershire.

The King, in a light summer suit, spoke a few quiet words of welcome, wearing a circlet of feathers and a scarf that had been draped ceremonially around his shoulders.

A humane, ruminative, humorous and quietly radical figure, he was at the centre of what he hopes will become the first of many such gatherings.

But it raised the question - and perhaps opened a window - into what the King believes. What is this thoughtful man really thinking about?

Harmony is the King's philosophy, it means that we should be working with the grain of nature rather than against it. Or "her" as, he describes nature, in his book on the subject, published in 2010.

It's about the inter-connectedness of all life, infused with a strong sense of the spiritual, and the idea that the human and natural worlds can't be separated.

It's the philosophy that stitches together his many different pursuits - on the environment, climate change, sustainable farming, urban planning, architecture, protecting traditional craft skills and building bridges between different faiths.

• The King co-writes children's climate change book
• King Charles to feature in new Amazon documentary

According to a source close to the King, it's "perhaps the single most important part of his eventual legacy", bringing together different strands of his work that might seem separate into "one philosophical world view about creating a better, more sustainable world for future generations".

The King's views, including on the environment, were "once seen as an outlier, but now many elements have been accepted and adopted as conventional thought and mainstream practice, embraced around the world".

In his book on Harmony - A New Way of Looking at our World, the King describes his purpose as a "call to revolution", and writes that he recognises the strength of the word.

It's a broadside against a consumer culture, in which people and the natural world become commodities. He warns of the environmental threats to the future of the Earth. There's a call to protect traditional crafts and skills and also for a radical change in rejecting modern, unsustainable, exploitative forms of farming.

If not avant garde, he's an avant gardener.

If you go for a walk in Highgrove's gardens there are small hurdle fences, with wooden rods woven around posts. The King makes these himself and this idea of things being inextricably woven together seems to be central to harmony.

His book moves from the importance of geometry, with patterns rooted in nature, to the designs in Islamic art and the inspiring dimensions of Gothic cathedrals.

A sense of the sacred in nature, as well as in people, seems to be an important part of this world view.

At lunch at the Harmony Summit, grace was said by the Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher.

The King's idea of harmony dovetailed with a very deep personal Christian faith, he said.

"My sense is that he draws much of his energy and ideas from spending time in prayer and contemplation," said the bishop.

He said the King sees his role as serving others and a sense of this "is seen in how he is always keen to learn from other religious traditions, building bridges and fostering good relationships built on respect and understanding".

Within strands of Christianity, the King is also said to be have been interested in the Orthodox faith and its use of icons.

Highgrove itself has an example of the King's private sense of spirituality. There is a small sanctuary tucked away in the grounds, where no one else goes inside, where he can spend time completely alone with this thoughts.

It must seem a world away from the ceremonial juggernaut of this week's state visit by France's President Macron.

The focus of this inaugural Harmony Summit was drawing on the wisdom of indigenous people, tapping into their knowledge and pre-industrial ways of working with nature.

Survivalist Ray Mears was there to welcome representatives of the Earth Elders group, who work to defend the rights of "original peoples", who have become the threatened guardians of the natural world. They were wearing traditional headdresses, face paint and ornaments, in among the flowers and trees of Highgrove.

"People's selfishness has taken them away from nature. They can't feel the breeze, they're too focused on the clock," said Mindahi Bastida, of the Otomi-Toltec people in Mexico.

The cacophonous modern world has broken our connection with nature, said Rutendo Ngara, from South Africa. She described our era as a time of "loud forgetting".

"We all have egos and ambitions. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, I wanted to sell out," said Uyunkar Domingo Peas Nampichkai, from Ecuador, the co-ordinator for the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance.

The temptation for him was to sell his land for oil. He decided a different path and explained what "harmony" now meant to him.

"It's well-being for all human beings, all living beings, visible and invisible, it's Mother Nature… Everything is connected and there's mutual respect," he said.

These were people from forests and rivers who talked of the destructive pressures on them, from mining, oil and urbanisation.

The weren't pulling punches either. There were speakers warning of how "Europeans" had killed their people and another who said that the much-hyped COP climate change gatherings were full of empty promises that never delivered for grassroots communities.

Ailton Krenak, from Brazil, talked of rivers that that had been "erased by money" and seeing the dried-up, polluted waterways was like a much-loved "grandfather in a coma".

But how can harmony work in such a discordant world?

Patrick Dunne, who runs the educational Harmony Project which uses the concept in more than 100 schools in the UK, has been applying the principles in a place of extreme conflict, the war in Ukraine.

He's been taking classes of children traumatised by the conflict, and reconnecting them with nature, taking them to parks and forests for a place to heal.

"Ukraine is a powerful example of a country that's in a war they don't want and they are losing a lot of people. It's terrible, there's a lot of pain and suffering. And they want harmony, a future of living well together, so the message of harmony really resonates there," he said.

Highgrove, winningly wobbly with its crooked tiles and trees growing through holes in the roof of a shelter, is a lyrical sight on a summer's day. It's a model of harmony with nature.

How does that message work, when you step outside into an often angry, noisy and brutal world?

What makes the idea of harmony relevant, is that it puts ideas into practice, it's not just a "thought exercise", says Simon Sadinsky, executive education director at the King's Foundation, which teaches crafts skills to a new generation.

"It's not just a theoretical concept, it's not just a philosophy, it's grounded in practice," says Dr Sadinsky.

"There's a lot of awfulness going on in the world, it's hard to stay optimistic. You can feel completely powerless," says Beth Somerville, a textile worker who completed a King's Foundation course.

But she says the idea of "harmony in nature" inspires her work and helps to create things which can be both beautiful and functional, in a way that is "all connected".

"It does drive me to carry on and have hope," she says.

Investigators have uncovered a chilling discovery in the preliminary investigation into the Air India Flight 171 crash which killed 260 people in June.

Just seconds after takeoff, both the 12-year-old Boeing 787 Dreamliner's fuel-control switches abruptly moved to the "cut-off" position, starving the engines of fuel and triggering total power loss. Switching to "cut-off" is a move typically done only after landing.

The cockpit voice recording captures one pilot asking the other why he "did the cut-off", to which the person replies that he didn't. The recording doesn't clarify who said what. At the time of takeoff, the co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring.

The switches were returned to their normal inflight position, triggering automatic engine relight. At the time of the crash, one engine was regaining thrust while the other had relit but had not yet recovered power.

Air India Flight 171 was airborne for less than 40 seconds before crashing into a crowded neighbourhood in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, marking one of India's most baffling aviation disasters.

Investigators are probing the wreckage and cockpit recorders to understand what went wrong just after takeoff. The Air India flight climbed to 625 feet in clear weather before losing location data 50 seconds in, per Flightradar24. Saturday's 15-page report offers early insights.

The investigation - led by Indian authorities with experts from Boeing, General Electric, Air India, Indian regulators, and participants from the US and UK - raises several questions.

Investigators say the lever-lock fuel switches are designed to prevent accidental activation - they must be pulled up to unlock before flipping, a safety feature dating back to the 1950s. Built to exacting standards, they're highly reliable. Protective guard brackets further shield them from accidental bumps.

"It would be almost impossible to pull both switches with a single movement of one hand, and this makes accidental deployment unlikely," a Canada-based air accidents investigator, who wanted to remain unnamed, told the BBC.

That's what makes the Air India case stand out.

If one of the pilots was responsible for shutting down the switches, intentionally or not, it "does beg the question: why... pull the switches to the off position," Shawn Pruchnicki, a former airline accident investigator and aviation expert at Ohio State University, said.

"Was it intentional, or the result of confusion? That seems unlikely, as the pilots reported nothing unusual. In many cockpit emergencies, pilots may press the wrong buttons or make incorrect selections - but there was no indication of such a situation here, nor any discussion suggesting that the fuel switches were selected by mistake. This kind of error doesn't typically happen without some evident issue," he told the BBC.

Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the US's NTSB, echoed a similar sentiment: "The finding is very disturbing - that a pilot has shut off the fuel switch within seconds of flying."

"There's likely much more on the cockpit voice recorder than what's been shared. A lone remark like 'why did you cut off the switches' isn't enough," he said.

"The new details suggest someone in the cockpit shut those valves. The question is, who, and why? Both switches were turned off and then restarted within seconds. The voice recorder will reveal more: was the flying pilot trying to restart the engines, or the monitoring one?"

Investigators believe the cockpit voice recorder - with audio from pilot mics, radio calls and ambient cockpit sounds - holds the key to this puzzle.

"They haven't identified the voices yet, which is crucial. Typically, when the voice recorder is reviewed, people familiar with the pilots are present to help match voices. As of now, we still don't know which pilot turned the switches off and back on," said Mr Goelz.

In short, investigators say what's needed is clear voice identification, a full cockpit transcript with labelled speakers, and a thorough review of all communications from the moment the plane was pushed back from the gate to the time it crashed.

They also say this underscores the need for cockpit video recorders, as recommended by the NTSB. An over-the-shoulder view would show whose hand was on the cut-off switch.

Before boarding Flight 171, both pilots and crew passed breathalyser tests and were cleared fit to fly, the report says. The pilots, based in Mumbai, had arrived in Ahmedabad the day before the flight and had adequate rest.

But investigators are also zeroing in on what they describe is an interesting point in the report.

It says in December 2018, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) highlighting that some Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged.

While the issue was noted, it wasn't deemed an unsafe condition requiring an Airworthiness Directive (AD) - a legally enforceable regulation to correct unsafe conditions in a product.

The same switch design is used in Boeing 787-8 aircraft, including Air India's VT-ANB which crashed. As the SAIB was advisory, Air India did not perform the recommended inspections.

Mr Pruchnicki said he's wondering whether there was a problem with the fuel control switches.

"What does this [bit in the report] exactly mean? Does it mean that with a single flip, that switch could shut the engine off and cut the fuel supply? When the locking feature is disengaged, what exactly happens? Could the switch just flip itself to off and shut down the engine? If that's the case, it's a really serious issue. If not, that also needs to be explained," he said.

Others, however, aren't convinced this is a key issue.

"I haven't heard of this which appears to be a low-profile FAA issuance. Nor have I heard any complaints [about the fuel switches] from pilots - who are usually quick to speak up. It's worth examining since it's mentioned, but it may just be a distraction," said Mr Goelz.

Capt Kishore Chinta, a former investigator with India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), wonders whether the switches tripped because of a problem with the plane's electronic control unit.

"Can the fuel cut-off switches be triggered electronically by the plane's electronic control unit without movement by the pilot? If the fuel cut-off switches tripped electronically, then it's a cause for concern," he told the BBC.

The report says fuel samples from the refuelling tanks were "satisfactory". Experts had earlier suggested fuel contamination as a possible cause of the dual engine failure. Notably, no advisory has been issued for the Boeing 787 or its GE GEnx-1B engines, with mechanical failure ruled out for now pending further investigation.

It also said that the aircraft's Ram Air Turbine (RAT) had deployed - a clear sign of a major systems failure - and the landing gear was found in "down position" or not retracted.

The RAT, a small propeller that extends from the underside of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, acts as an emergency backup generator. It automatically deploys in flight when both engines lose power or if all three hydraulic systems register critically low pressure, supplying limited power to keep essential flight systems operational.

"The deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) strongly supports the conclusion that both engines had failed," Mr Pruchnicki said.

A Boeing 787 pilot explained why he thought the landing gear was not retracted.

"These days, every time I take off in a 787, I notice the landing gear retraction process closely. By the time the gear handle is pulled, we're already at about 200ft (60.9m), and the entire gear retraction process completes by around 400ft - roughly eight seconds in total, thanks to the aircraft's high-pressure hydraulic system."

The pilot believes the one flying had no time to think.

"When both engines fail and the aircraft starts going down, the reaction goes beyond just being startled - you go numb. In that moment, landing gear isn't your focus. Your mind is on one thing: the flight path. Where can I put this aircraft down safely? And in this case, there simply wasn't enough altitude to work with."

Investigators say the crew tried to recover, but it happened too fast.

"The engines were switched off and then back on. The pilots realised the engines were losing thrust - likely restarting the left one first, followed by the right," said Mr Pruchnicki.

"But the right engine didn't have enough time to spool back up, and the thrust was insufficient. Both were eventually set to "run", but with the left shut down first and the right too late to recover, it was simply too little, too late."

For days, Imtiyaz Ali had been anxiously awaiting the findings of a preliminary report into last month's Air India crash that killed his brother, sister-in-law, and their two young children.

When the report was finally released early on Saturday in India, he read it carefully - only to be disappointed by what he said "reads like a product description".

"Other than the pilots' final conversation, there's nothing in it that really points to what caused the crash."

He hopes more details will be made public in the months to come.

"This matters to us," Ali said. "We want to know exactly what happened. It won't change anything for us now, we continue grieving - just as we have since that day. But at least we'll have some answers."

The London-bound Air India flight 171 crashed into a suburban neighbourhood in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on 12 June, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground.

A preliminary investigative report released on Saturday in India said fuel to the engines of the plane cut off just seconds after take-off. The circumstances around how or why that happened remain unclear.

The report said that in recovered cockpit voice recordings, one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so".

A final report into the crash is expected in 12 months.

• Follow live coverage

Shweta Parihar, 41, also wants answers. Her husband, Abhinav Parishar, 43, was on his way back to London. He was meant to fly later in the month but decided to come home early and ended up on the ill-fated flight.

She laments that no investigation will ever bring her husband back.

"For those of us that have lost loved ones, we've lost them, they are not coming back," she said.

"What will they do in the investigation, tell us how it happened? The life of how many people, 250 passengers, what will they say, sorry? Everything is done, everything is finished."

Parihar becomes emotional when she talks about the impact of the loss on her 11-year-old son Vihaan.

"He misses his dad badly," she said tearfully. Vihaan tells her that he won't fly Air India ever again.

Badasab Syed, 59, lost his brother, sister-in-law, and their two children in the crash.

He was hoping for answers from the preliminary report, but after watching the news, said he was left with more questions.

"The report mentions the pilots discussing who turned off fuel and a possible issue with the fuel control switch. We don't know, what does that mean? Was this avoidable?"

Badasab Syed says his younger brother, Inayat Syed, 49 was the heart of the family. Losing him, his wife and children, has shattered the entire family. The grief has been especially difficult on his 83-year-old mother, Bibi Sab.

"Losing her son and grandchildren has made her weak. I think she is not able to even tell us how she feels," he said.

It's surely the darkest fear of any mum or dad - losing their child to a world that's out of sight, a place where they can't protect them.

Esther Ghey, Ian Russell, Mariano Janin, Liam Walsh, Ellen Roome, Lisa Kenevan, Hollie Dance and Judy Thomas.

They are all parents who believe the internet played a part in the death of their children: Brianna, Molly, Mia, Maia, Jools, Isaac, Archie and Frankie.

And they've courageously told us their stories, sharing their pain, partly in the hope of pushing the authorities to regulate what happens on the internet more effectively.

After years of campaigning and political debate, tech platforms will - within weeks - be legally obliged to stop kids seeing harmful content online, including pornography and material encouraging self-harm. They'll be expected to check users' ages, and if they don't, they could be punished with heavy fines.

But the debate over whether the changes will have the right effect is already raging. In private, the government freely admits the new rules already need an update. So what is going on?

Technological advances

"If it does what it says it does, it should be really big," said one Whitehall source, with high hopes of the change on the way.

Ofcom will be responsible for enforcing new child safety rules which will require platforms to check users' ages. These take effect on 25 July - and Ofcom's chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, will join me live in the studio tomorrow morning to explain more.

The regulator won't tell platforms exactly how to verify users' ages. But it could be sharing a selfie in real time, or checking bank details. Without proving they are 18, a child or teenager should theoretically not be able to see content that might do them harm.

Ofcom's measures to make tech firms remove illegal content have already come into force. A senior Whitehall source said: "We have had 20 years with no attention being paid to safety." You can't say that now.

But some observers take a very dim view of how much the new rules are going to change.

One campaigner said: "If we believed the breathless PR, we could all take to our deckchairs and just enjoy the sun."

Rightly or wrongly, the new rules don't cover what kids share with each other on messaging apps, and they don't block risky stunts or challenges or in-app purchases like loot boxes that end up costing some families a fortune.

And as technology races ahead, the rules don't fully cover AI chatbots which are increasingly grabbing kids' attention.

The Online Safety Act, which was passed in 2023, didn't tackle material that is harmful but legal for adults - not least because of an almighty row in the Conservative Party when they were in charge.

Nor was it set up to tackle misinformation or hate, which MPs warned on Friday left serious holes in the new system designed to protect everyone.

• What the Online Safety Act is - and how to keep children safe online

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, which investigated the law in the wake of the Southport riots, said internet users were being exposed to large volumes of harmful and misleading content "which can deceive, damage mental health, normalise extremist views, undermine democracy, and fuel violence".

MPs in the committee concluded that the Act failed to keep UK citizens "safe from a core and pervasive online harm".

Many safety campaigners think the rules simply don't go far enough and that Ofcom has been far too cautious. A former cabinet minister tells me: "I just don't understand their lack of pace or urgency."

It took years to get the Online Safety Act passed as law in the first place. Parliament spent a long time grappling with real dilemmas - especially how to protect fundamental rights of free speech and privacy.

Then Ofcom took many months to write the codes of practice that have come into force over time. They wanted to create rules that were practical for the tech platforms themselves.

One industry source says Ofcom had been "sensible and grown-up", and while the rules weren't "revolutionary" they were important, positioning the UK between tighter regulations in the EU and a more lax regime in the US.

However you look at it, these new laws have been a very, very long time coming. And while Whitehall has been grinding along, technology, and the kinds of experiences we all have online, has been racing ahead.

Who had really heard of AI five years ago? Many sources I've spoken to question now if the way the whole system has been designed is the right one.

The former minister I spoke to said it was a "category error" to regulate the internet in this way, questioning whether Ofcom was the right body to do the job.

But ultimately, Ofcom can only work within the laws MPs set.

While we'll be focusing in the studio tomorrow on the effect the new rules will have, there is already an obvious demand among politicians to go further.

Labour's education secretary branded the Tories' suggestion to ban phones in schools a "gimmick". The PM said it was "unnecessary". But the House of Lords might back the idea in votes in mid-autumn, pushing the question back to MPs.

Might some newly emboldened Labour backbenchers be tempted to support it too? One of them told me if there were a reshuffle, and a new education secretary, "I'd be straight in there to say, ditch the battle, get on the right side of the public and parents, and agree to the Tories' proposal."

But I understand there are new measures developed in government that might emerge even before then, shortly after the summer.

With the age verification measures about to come into force, the cabinet minister in charge, Peter Kyle, wants to shift the conversation towards healthy habits. The Online Safety Act focuses on what we can see on the internet. But Kyle's next focus is on how we use it, considering how some apps could be addictive.

A source said: "kids shouldn't have to be grateful they can't see violent porn on their devices… the next debate is about what is healthy online."

Ministers are considering how they could protect children from algorithms that "can make kids feel out of control", or drive compulsive behaviour. Proposals on the table include an "app cap", screen time limits, extra rules on live streams, and making more of a distinction between what 13 and 16-year-olds can do online.

More legislation is likely to bring in the next round of changes, but right now, as one MP said: "it is stuck somewhere in the system."

You can expect the next round of conversations about how governments can protect the public from the worst excesses of the internet while enjoying its incredible opportunities to be part of the political soundtrack of the autumn.

Technology has changed so many aspects of our lives so fast for the better in recent years. But for too many families, their experiences online have brought terrible pain. Just as our heads might spin trying to understand all the changes, politicians have perhaps struggled to balance the dangers as well as the opportunities, and how they might be called on to protect the public.

What happens online is not the usual turf of politics like making ends meet, running schools or hospitals. But just as our virtual lives are an increasing part of our world, they are becoming a bigger part of our political life too.

A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line

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Forty-two arrests have been made in London at a protest against Palestine Action being proscribed a terror group, the Metropolitan Police has said.

The force said 41 arrests were made on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organisation, with one person also arrested for common assault.

Palestine Action was proscribed by the government under the Terrorism Act 2000 as of last Saturday, meaning membership of or support for the group is a criminal offence.

Twenty-nine people were arrested at a similar protest in London last weekend.

Two groups of protesters were seen gathering in Parliament Square shortly after 13:00 BST on Saturday.

Some individuals were seen holding placards bearing the words: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action."

Demonstrators were also seen lying on top of each other while police officers searched bags, taking ID cards and handmade signs.

Police were seen carrying some of the protesters away and led others into police vans - with the last protester being removed from the Nelson Mandela statue just after 14:30 BST.

The move to proscribe Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were sprayed with paint by activists who broke into RAF Brize Norton in June - an incident for which the group claimed responsibility.

Campaign group Defend Our Juries, which said it had organised the London protest, said other demonstrations were happening in the UK today including in Manchester and Cardiff.

The granddaughter of a victim of the Air India Flight 171 crash has said a preliminary report into the incident was "incomplete" and that she "can't be at peace" without those responsible being held accountable.

"It does bring us a little bit closer to understanding what happened," Ria Patel told BBC's Newshour, but added: "I want to be able to have closure."

She is one of several voices in the UK to stress the need for answers over root causes of the crash, which occurred shortly after take-off in Ahmendabad on 12 June.

A preliminary report, released on Friday, found fuel to the engines of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was cut moments after take-off. The investigation is ongoing.

Manju Mahesh Patel, 79, was one of the 260 people killed - most of whom were passengers - when the London-bound plane fell into a densely populated neighbourhood in the western Indian city.

Her granddaughter found reading the report "quite heartbreaking", as there were images from the immediate aftermath of the crash - including the wreckage - that were difficult to process.

"For me, I can't sort of stop thinking about what my grandma's final moments must have looked like," she said from her home in Buckinghamshire.

Ms Patel's grandmother had been staying in Ahmedabad for the prior few months, carrying out charity work at a temple. Manju's son had been due pick her up at Gatwick that night, and she was said to be looking forward to seeing her four grandchildren in the UK.

"This was the chance to reconnect with her after 10 years," Ms Patel said. "Knowing that we won't be able to see her again, it is really tough."

Data gathered from inside the plane suggests both of its fuel control switches moved from the "run" to the "cut-off" position in the space of a second shortly after take-off.

These switches are typically only turned off when a plane has landed and made it to the gate, or during emergency situations. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) did not specify whether an emergency situation had taken place on board in its preliminary report.

The cut-off then caused both engines to lose thrust, the AAIB report found.

For Ms Patel, the preliminary report still points to several theories and its findings are incomplete.

But she stressed how "extremely important" it was for her and others to find out what the underlying cause of the crash was.

"I feel like I can't really be at peace with what's happened, unless I understand where the accountability lies."

Sameer Rafik, a cousin of crash victim Faizan Rafik from Leicester, is similarly calling for more details to be brought forward.

"The Indian Government should release the cockpit audio for the families who lost loved ones," said Mr Rafik. Only after that "we will then know what happened".

Dr Mario Donadi, a friend of another victim killed in the Air India crash, described the initial findings a "huge slap in the face" on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

His "dear colleague", Dr Prateek Joshi, had been travelling back to the UK with his family. He took a picture of himself, his wife and three kids mere moments before take-off.

"How [can] something so trivial [as] a simple switch being deactivated lead to such a loss of life, of such huge dreams?" Dr Donadi asked.

There were 53 British nationals on board the Air India flight, which was destined for London's Gatwick airport.

Responding to the preliminary report, a Department for Transport spokesperson told the BBC the government would review it in detail and "consider if any action is required".

Ms Patel said she recognised that knowing what happened will not change the outcome of what occurred. "My grandma still isn't here."

But she argued that "clear actions" needed to be taken for relatives of the victims "to feel a sense of justice - because so many lives have been lost".

The AAIB investigation is expected to produce a more detailed report in 12 months.

Ms Patel said the loss of her grandmother had left a noticeable "gap" in her life, as she used to call her every weekend.

"She will be sorely missed. She was an amazing woman."

This week, I Know What You Did Last Summer returns to the big screen, decades after the original had us all hiding behind our sofas.

But that's not all the next seven days have in store.

Jacob Elordi is starring in The Narrow Road to the Deep North on BBC One, romantic drama Mixtape is out, and new game Donkey Kong Bananza is released.

Read on for what's coming up this week...

Strap in for Summerween

By Tom Richardson, Newsbeat reporter

Forget blockbusters – summer shockbusters are all the rage in 2025.

Hot on the heels of 28 Years Later comes I Know What You Did Last Summer, a sort-of-but-not-technically remake of the 1997 slasher classic.

As before, five friends who agree to cover up a tragic accident are stalked one year later by hook-wielding killer The Fisherman. And whoever's hiding under the menacing waterproofs isn't happy with them.

With a buzzy new cast including The Outer Banks' Madelyn Cline, some 2025 tweaks (yes, there's a true crime podcaster) plus the return of OG cast members Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt, producers will be hoping the beloved series can hook a new generation of fans.

From Saltburn to the Deep North

Jacob Elordi continues to go from strength to strength.

The 28-year-old actor, best known for his roles in Saltburn, Euphoria and The Kissing Booth, is now starring in The Narrow Road to the Deep North, an Australian mini-series which UK viewers can soon watch.

The five-part saga is adapted from Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize-winning novel.

It charts the life of Dorrigo Evans, played by Elordi as a young man with Ciarán Hinds as the older Dorrigo, through his love affair with Amy Mulvaney, played by Odessa Young, his time held captive in a World War Two prisoner of war camp, and his later years spent as a revered surgeon and reluctant war hero.

Reviews are out already, as it aired in Australia first. The Guardian gave it four stars, calling it a "complex, confronting war drama", while The New York Times praised it as a "brutal and poetic" series that takes on life's big questions.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North is available in full on BBC iPlayer next Sunday 20 July, and begins that evening on BBC One.

Summer romance

Nostalgia-based posts are all over my TikTok feed, and there's now a new drama out tapping right into that trend.

Mix Tape, a four-part series, is set in the late 80s and 90s and follows Daniel and Alison, moving between their teenage romance in Sheffield and the modern-day reality of their adult relationships living on opposite sides of the world.

There's love, heartbreak and a soundtrack jammed full of the golden oldies. And reviews, so far, have been positive.

Screenhub Australia called it "resonant and real", while the Guardian, which awarded it four stars, called it "sweet and intense".

It stars Teresa Palmer as Alison and Jim Sturgess as Daniel, with Florence Hunt and Rory Walton-Smith as their younger selves.

Like The Narrow Road to the Deep North, it also premiered in Australia, but it's now available for UK viewers. All episodes are available on BBC iPlayer from Tuesday, and it begins that evening on BBC Two.

Ape expectations

By Tom Richardson, Newsbeat reporter

As the second big exclusive release on Nintendo's record-breaking Switch 2, Donkey Kong Bananza has a lot resting on its shoulders.

The initial reaction to this 3D platformer was cautious, and some fans wondered if the gameplay - which sees gaming's most famous ape smashing his way through destructible levels - would be a bit one-note.

But recent deep dives and previews - and the disclosure that Bananza is made by the same Nintendo division as some of Mario's biggest hits - have helped to build excitement.

He may lack the plumber's balletic moveset, but with some of Nintendo's most imaginative minds plotting his next adventure Donkey Kong's latest has the makings of a smash hit.

Other highlights this week

• The Great British Sewing Bee returns on BBC One and iPlayer on Tuesday
• London Indian Film Festival starts on Wednesday
• Elvis Evolution, an immersive experience at Immerse LDN, opens on Friday

British doubles success continues at SW19

President Donald Trump has announced that the European Union and Mexico will face a 30% tariff on imports to the US from 1 August.

He warned he would impose even higher import taxes if either of the US trading partners decided to retaliate.

The announcement was made in two letters posted on Trump's Truth Social website. Similar letters were sent this week to several other countries.

The 27-member EU - America's biggest trading partner - said earlier this week it hoped to agree a deal with Washington before 1 August.

In the letter to European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Trump wrote: "We have had years to discuss our trading relationship with the European Union, and have concluded that we must move away from these long-term-large, and persistent, trade deficits, engendered by your tariff, and non-tariff, policies and trade barriers."

"Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal," the letter added.

The EU has been a frequent target of Trump's criticism, and in April Washington announced levies of 20% on European goods.

In 2024, the US trade deficit with the bloc was $235.6bn (€202bn; £174bn), according to the office of the US trade representative.

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.

A centuries-old Persian couplet often repeated in Indian-administered Kashmir translates to: "If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here." And many Kashmiris insist it was written with Pahalgam in mind.

The small town, nestled between tall Himalayan mountains with a gurgling Lidder River flowing through it, is called the mini-Switzerland of India.

The valleys and meadows here have long provided stunning locations for Bollywood romances and attracted tens of thousands of tourists escaping the heat and dust of Indian planes.

But on 22 April, the tranquil valley hit global headlines when a sprawling meadow here turned into killing fields.

Militants singled out male Hindu tourists and murdered 25 of them in front of their families in Baisaran, a beauty spot about 7km from the town. A local Muslim pony handler who tried to help tourists was also shot dead.

The massacre brought nuclear-armed India and Pakistan to the brink of war. India blamed Pakistan for the killings – an accusation Islamabad denied – and the two countries attacked each other with missiles and drones over four days in May after which a fragile truce was agreed.

But in Pahalgam, time seems to have slowed down and the residents are trying to pick up the pieces and move on.

When I recently visited Pahalgam, where a large majority makes a living through tourism, I found a land and its people trying to deal with the collective trauma, mourning the loss of lives - and livelihoods. The peak tourist season here is April to June - and this year, most of it has already been lost.

"What happened here is condemnable… an inhuman act. Innocent people were killed," says Javeed Burza, president of Pahalgam Hotels and Restaurants association.

Standing in the rear lawns of his hotel, he watches the Lidder roar past. On the other side are huge mountains covered by a thick carpet of trees. It's this sort of view that made this valley in south Kashmir such a sought-after destination.

Mr Burza says visitors came from all over India for its lakes, forests, meadows and glaciers – and went back raving about the local people and their hospitality.

"People here are poor, they live hand-to-mouth, but they are known to be very kind and helpful. Now we are all facing the consequences of this senseless violence," he adds. "We had bookings right until the end of June. But then everything fell apart like a pack of cards. There's not much left here now."

The region's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah says in the immediate aftermath of the attack, tourists fled the town and people who were proposing to come cancelled.

To persuade tourists to give Pahalgam another chance, he visited the town within weeks of the attack, held a cabinet meeting there and, ignoring advice of security officials, cycled through the streets.

For Mr Abdullah, Pahalgam's wellbeing is personal.

"It's where our school picnics were; it's where we probably first dipped our toes in running water. For some of us it's the first time we went white water rafting or trout fishing. For others, it's a day or overnight visit. For us, it's part of our growing up."

Mr Abdullah says it's always hard to make predictions but he hopes to see Pahalgam "where it was on 21 April this year".

On that day, it was packed with tourists, says Fayyaz Ahmad, who sells Kashmiri embroidered shawls and dresses in Pahalgam's main market, with shops lining both sides of the only road that passes through the town.

Many remain shuttered, but a few have begun to open in the hope of attracting customers. The day I met him was the first he'd opened his shop since the killings.

The last three seasons – post-Covid years – had been marked by bumper visits, Mr Ahmad says.

"Every morning at least 3,000 cars would arrive by 11am. There would be traffic jams lasting two-three hours. Many tourists would say they couldn't find accommodation."

His own shop sometimes got so crowded that a queue of shoppers would form outside. "Business was brisk," he said. But now he's had to let three salesmen go. They would be rehired only if business picked up, he said.

The targeting of tourists has left him bewildered. Since 1989, when an anti-India militancy gripped Kashmir valley, Mr Ahmad says, "the situation was really bad here".

"We were afraid to step out of our homes, but tourists who chose to come here were never harmed. We can't understand why they've been targeted now. Who could do such a thing?" he asks.

India blamed Pakistan-backed militants for the massacre in a region that both countries claim in full, but control only in parts.

Delhi accuses its neighbour of fuelling a long-running insurgency that has killed tens of thousands in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad has long denied backing militants there.

In recent years, the insurgency had abated, bringing millions of tourists and a growing sense that the region was finally becoming safer. But that has now changed.

"Pahalgam ke naam par dhabba lag gaya [Pahalgam's name is stained]," laments Nisar Ali, an 80-year-old resident who makes a living by selling papier mache products.

"People had taken loans to open shops and buy taxis, now everyone is staring at an uncertain future. What's happened to our paradise," he asks.

Just 2km from the market, a signboard points to the untarred road that goes up to Baisaran, a 5km trek covered on foot or ponies. The concertina wire used to barricade the road has been moved to one side and local people and flocks of sheep can be seen making their way down.

Before the killings, it was one of the most popular places for tourists. The meadow offering a great view of the valley was open from 08:00 to 17:00 and would get thousands of visitors daily in the summer.

But it remains out of bounds now. Two men have been arrested for allegedly providing shelter to the militants, but those who carried out the killings have still not been caught - leading to fears that they could return.

Abdul Wahid Wani, the president of Pahalgam pony owners' union, who was the first to arrive at the scene, says 1,090 tourists had gone up to the meadow until 14:00.

At the time of the attack, there were about 300 tourists in Baisaran, he estimates.

At 14:36, he says, he received a call from the police asking him if he had heard anything about an incident at Baisaran.

"I tried calling colleagues who had taken tourists up to the meadow, but no-one answered. I figured something was wrong and my brother and I ran all the way up and reached there at 15:10."

The police and paramilitaries arrived 15 minutes later. That night, Mr Wani, wrapped up at 02:30. He says what he saw there keeps him awake at nights.

"I saw women and children crying and screaming. I saw bodies on the ground. I saw 10-15 people injured."

In the first videos of the aftermath that went viral on the day of the attack, Mr Wani can be heard trying to reassure the survivors, offering them water, telling them he was there to help.

He summoned other pony handlers who arrived at the scene to help evacuate people - "carrying them down on our backs and wooden cots" - and gather bodies strewn about the vast field.

"I still can't forget what I saw that day. I panicked; I had palpitations. I'd never seen anything like that before."

When I met him in Pahalgam, he looked tired, his eyes sunk deep into his lined face.

"For many nights I couldn't sleep and sleep still eludes me. With the militants still on the loose, I worry what will happen if they come after us because we helped people they were trying to kill?"

But earlier this week, we exchanged messages and he sounded more optimistic.

The town has sprung back to life, with thousands of pilgrims arriving to take part in Amarnath Yatra - the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine. It began on 3 July and will go on until 9 August.

Dozens of camps have been set up and thousands of police and security forces have been deployed along the route to ensure security.

Pahalgam is one of the two starting points for the trek to the shrine – and as many pilgrims hire ponies to take them part of the way, there's a steady stream of work for Mr Wani and his colleagues.

But hoteliers and shop-owners say they will have to wait for their turn until after the end of the pilgrimage since most pilgrims stay in cheaper camps and rarely purchase crafts.

But many are taking heart from the fact that tourists have begun returning to the region. Ravi Gosain, president of All India Tour Operators, says in June, 40% of more than 45,000 tourists who visited the Kashmir Valley went to Pahalgam.

On the day I visited, there were families stopping for photographs under a "Love Pahalgam" sign.

Shabiba and Hamid Jaffar, who had visited last year around the same time, said it was so crowded then that they had to wait for half an hour to be able to take a photo here.

"When we decided to come this year, our friends tried to discourage us saying it's not safe," says Shabiba. "But it's totally safe and my children are so happy that they are saying let's move to Kashmir."

Mr Jaffar says their friends are calling them after seeing their photos. "And I'm telling them to come here for a holiday. Where will you see this beauty? Where will you get this peace?"

The husband of TV presenter Fiona Phillips says they have become socially isolated since her Alzheimer's diagnosis.

Phillips, who hosted ITV's GMTV breakfast programme, announced in 2023 that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's the previous year aged 61.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Martin Frizell, a former editor of ITV's This Morning show, said: "You become almost invisible."

He added: "We still have some close friends. But I think people think, oh gosh, Fiona, maybe she doesn't look the same, or they don't know what to say, or it brings into sharp focus their own mortality."

At the time of her diagnosis, Philips said that she had suffered months of brain fog and anxiety - and initially had attributed the symptoms to the menopause.

"It's something I might have thought I'd get at 80," Phillips explained.

"But I was still only 61 years old."

Frizell said he now does not know what to do either with her cookery books or designer clothes - both things she no longer uses.

"Fiona hasn't cooked in two years," he said.

"Part of the heartache now is she's got this dressing room full of the most amazing clothes but this horrible disease means she's more than happy just wearing the same T-shirt, the same trousers, the same thing - day in, day out."

Mother-of-two Phillips has written a memoir since her diagnosis which is due to be released on Thursday.

Frizell contributed to the book, saying he had intended to write "a few paragraphs" but ended up writing "24,000 words".

"I started off writing about what a great woman she is and just how horrible it is and dreadfully unlucky that she is the latest in the long line of her family to get it," he told the newspaper.

"Then I just got very angry as to what little support there is.

"As a family, we just kind of get through it and at some point we will need more support, but there's just nothing really."

In 2023, Phillips said the disease had "decimated" her family - with her mother, father and uncle all receiving a diagnosis.

She had cared for her parents and made two documentaries about the disease - one in 2009 called Mum, Dad, Alzheimer's And Me, about her family's history of dementia, and My Family And Alzheimer's in 2010.

The NHS says the term dementia encompasses "a group of symptoms associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning".

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the UK but its exact cause is not yet fully understood. No cure currently exists for the disease although some treatments can temporarily improve symptoms.

According to the Alzheimer's Society charity, one in three people born in the UK will be diagnosed with dementia.

Speaking to ITV's This Morning on Friday, Frizell said: "Society has decided we're not going to take it as seriously as we should.

"The money that's there for Alzheimer's research, it's like buying a Starbucks cup of coffee, basically trying to fight a disease. It's impossible."

Phillips presented GMTV between 1993 and 2008. She has since led a number of documentaries and episodes of Panorama and was a columnist for the Mirror.

For days, Imtiyaz Ali had been anxiously awaiting the findings of a preliminary report into last month's Air India crash that killed his brother, sister-in-law, and their two young children.

When the report was finally released early on Saturday in India, he read it carefully - only to be disappointed by what he said "reads like a product description".

"Other than the pilots' final conversation, there's nothing in it that really points to what caused the crash."

He hopes more details will be made public in the months to come.

"This matters to us," Ali said. "We want to know exactly what happened. It won't change anything for us now, we continue grieving - just as we have since that day. But at least we'll have some answers."

The London-bound Air India flight 171 crashed into a suburban neighbourhood in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on 12 June, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground.

A preliminary investigative report released on Saturday in India said fuel to the engines of the plane cut off just seconds after take-off. The circumstances around how or why that happened remain unclear.

The report said that in recovered cockpit voice recordings, one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so".

A final report into the crash is expected in 12 months.

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Shweta Parihar, 41, also wants answers. Her husband, Abhinav Parishar, 43, was on his way back to London. He was meant to fly later in the month but decided to come home early and ended up on the ill-fated flight.

She laments that no investigation will ever bring her husband back.

"For those of us that have lost loved ones, we've lost them, they are not coming back," she said.

"What will they do in the investigation, tell us how it happened? The life of how many people, 250 passengers, what will they say, sorry? Everything is done, everything is finished."

Parihar becomes emotional when she talks about the impact of the loss on her 11-year-old son Vihaan.

"He misses his dad badly," she said tearfully. Vihaan tells her that he won't fly Air India ever again.

Badasab Syed, 59, lost his brother, sister-in-law, and their two children in the crash.

He was hoping for answers from the preliminary report, but after watching the news, said he was left with more questions.

"The report mentions the pilots discussing who turned off fuel and a possible issue with the fuel control switch. We don't know, what does that mean? Was this avoidable?"

Badasab Syed says his younger brother, Inayat Syed, 49 was the heart of the family. Losing him, his wife and children, has shattered the entire family. The grief has been especially difficult on his 83-year-old mother, Bibi Sab.

"Losing her son and grandchildren has made her weak. I think she is not able to even tell us how she feels," he said.

The owner of a multi-million pound penthouse on Park Lane, central London, has been in an eight-year legal battle with companies owned by the late Mohamed Al Fayed and his family, the BBC has found.

The dispute began as a wrangle over a legal agreement relating to the installation of a new lift more than 20 years ago.

Since then, it has escalated into a row alleging leaky roofs, botched refurbishments and claims that a noisy lift was "maliciously" run at night to disturb the penthouse owner's sleep.

Lawyers for both parties declined to comment.

The row at the exclusive Mayfair address - documented in High Court filings - shines a light on the way some business dealings were conducted in Mohamed Al Fayed's empire in the years before he died.

Throughout his life, he was known for his combative approach, frequently resorting to legal action to resolve disagreements.

The luxury penthouse at the centre of this dispute is owned by Alan and Rosaleen Hodson. He is a property developer whose company has built thousands of homes in south-east England.

It is on the top floor of 55 Park Lane, known as "Hyde Park Residence", a large apartment building in a prime spot - right next to the exclusive Dorchester Hotel.

The building's website promises "an atmosphere of warmth and calm with the best of London living". A four-bedroom apartment is currently on sale for £8.5m.

In 2003, the Mail on Sunday described the address as having "sensational" views across Hyde Park and a "marble entrance foyer [that] has to be seen to be believed".

However, walking past the building gives a different impression. Some might consider it a little shabby for such a premium location, with peeling paint and a missing sign above the door.

Hyde Park Residence has been owned by the Fayed family since the 1980s, through Prestige Properties (PP), a company based in Liechtenstein.

This has been "under the control and held for the benefit of" Mohamed Al Fayed's estate and family since his death in 2023, according to the accounts of a subsidiary company filed in the UK. Al Fayed's widow Heini Wathen-Fayed is a director of this subsidiary called Hyde Park Residence Ltd, which manages some of the apartments.

Al Fayed's son Dodi, who died in a car crash alongside Princess Diana in 1997, reportedly used to have a flat there.

When Mohamed Al Fayed owned Harrods, he would sometimes let managers and directors live in the block, and the neighbouring building, 60 Park Lane, which he also owned.

In 2024, the BBC spoke to 13 women who said Fayed sexually assaulted them at 60 Park Lane. Four of them said they were raped.

Leaky roofs

The first issue emerged soon after Mr Hodson bought the penthouse in 2004, according to court documents seen by the BBC.

Mr Hodson made extensive improvements to the apartment when he moved in - modifying the kitchen, upgrading the roof terraces, and putting in a new lift so he wouldn't have to use a flight of stairs to access the property.

An agreement giving him legal ownership of his new lift - by updating his lease - wasn't honoured by Liechtenstein-based PP, Mr Hodson claimed.

Like many large buildings, the ownership of Hyde Park Residence is complicated.

The freeholder of the building is the Grosvenor Estate, which has extensive landholdings in central London. The Al Fayed family's company PP has the right to use it for the next 110 years.

This leasehold arrangement, though time-limited, is considered a form of ownership.

Grosvenor should have been asked for permission before these improvements were started. But permission was not requested - although it agreed in 2006 to grant permission retrospectively for a payment of £100,000, which Prestige Properties paid.

Then, in 2014, Mr Hodson began to be bothered by noise from two of the buildings' lifts. Despite his complaints, the noise grew worse, he argued, until in 2015 the building managers agreed to suspend use of one of the troublesome lifts at night.

And in 2016, the two parties fell out further. PP demanded that Mr Hodson contribute £80,000 towards the money paid to the Grosvenor Estate, some years earlier.

The following year, the Hodson's took PP and two other Fayed-controlled companies to the High Court asking for a list of grievances to be met and damages paid.

Among the issues, Mr Hodson said that he had wanted to extend the flat, adding a floor. He had spent £180,000 developing a plan, but PP denied him permission to build it, despite initially encouraging the plan – his lawyers claimed.

PP's lawyers argued the company hadn't given Mr Hodson permission to extend his property. They said that, as a property developer, he should have known that he wouldn't get permission without paying PP, as the landlord, millions of pounds.

Mr Hodson said that as a result of this dispute, PP allowed people to start using a noisy lift again, disturbing his sleep, which he thought was a "malicious and deliberate" response to a letter of complaint. He said on one night the lift was used 23 times between midnight and 02:00.

He also complained of poor repair work, which he said left him with a leaky roof and damage to his roof terraces.

The dispute still hasn't been resolved. In March this year, there was another court filing from Mr Hodson claiming "the roof is still leaking. The lift is still making excessive noise… The corridors and lobby have never been finished following refurbishment."

Lawyers for PP argue in reply that the noise from the lift is at "acceptable levels" and deny that it was restarted maliciously. They admit water leaked but say their clients have taken all reasonable steps to stop it.

PP is counterclaiming £344,000 in ground rent, plus another £286,000 of interest and costs.

The sums are trivial compared to Mohamed Al Fayed's wealth, estimated at £1.7bn at the time of his death. And it is remarkable that a dispute of this kind should have dragged on for so long.

But Al Fayed was known for never giving an inch to those he fell out with - and that approach seems to be continuing even after his death.

Alan Hodson, Heini Wathen-Fayed, PP, and Grosvenor Estate declined to comment.

The leader of the Unite union says Labour is not defending working people and they are turning away from the party "in droves".

Sharon Graham said Labour should be "seriously concerned" after the union voted to potentially rethink its relationship with the party, which could result in it formally cutting ties and funding.

It comes after Unite said it had suspended the membership of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner over her handling of bin strikes in Birmingham. A Labour source said Rayner quit Unite in April and defended her action on workers' rights.

The BBC has contacted the government for a response.

Delegates at Unite's policy conference voted to rethink their relationship with Labour should any of its members be made redundant in the course of the long-running bin strike.

The vote also saw the union decide to suspend Rayner over her role in the strikes.

The deputy prime minister has urged workers to accept a deal tabled by Birmingham's Labour-run city council to end the dispute, saying the authority had "moved significantly to meet the demands of the workers".

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday, Unite's general secretary said Unite members "don't believe that Labour defends workers in the way we thought they would".

Rayner was attempting a "Houdini act" by focusing on "whether she wasn't or was a member at this juncture," she said, and Labour should instead be asking where it was "going wrong".

Ms Graham said its members reflected "what everyday people are saying" about the government.

"I have real difficulty in the way that Labour are making decisions," she said, "in terms of what they tried to do on winter fuel, what they tried to do to people with disabilities, what they're doing to workers".

The government faced major political pressure over its planned cuts to winter fuel payments and welfare, including from the left of the Labour party - which were subsequently reversed and significantly watered-down.

Unite is one of a number of unions which are affiliated with Labour - giving it seats on the party's ruling national executive committee and delegates to its annual conference.

It is also Labour's biggest union funder through the affiliation fees that members pay to the party - currently totalling £1.2m a year.

Ms Graham said disaffiliation was a possibility and that she was under pressure to call an emergency rules conference - where a decision about disaffiliation could be made.

Members needed to see that affiliation was "worth something," she said.

"At this present moment in time, it is hard to justify it, if I'm being honest. Would that money be better spent on frontline services for my members?"

She said access to political power was useful but not "if you're walking into a room and that political power keeps saying, 'computer says no'."

The BBC understands Rayner stopped paying for her Unite membership in April. On Friday, a Labour source called her suspension a "silly stunt".

A Downing St spokesman said on Friday that the government's priority throughout the dispute had "always" been Birmingham's residents.

"We remain in close contact with the council and continue to monitor the situation as we support its recovery and transformation," he said.

Unite members walked out in January over plans to downgrade some roles as part of the city council's attempts to sort out its equal pay liabilities.

Unite has also urged the council to guarantee long-term pay for Grade 4 bin lorry drivers, claiming in April that bin lorry drivers' pay could fall from £40,000 to £32,000 under new council plans.

An all-out indefinite strike was announced in March, and a deal to end industrial action has not yet been reached.

Conciliation service Acas has been mediating in the negotiations since May, but talks broke down on Wednesday. Council leader John Cotton said the authority had "reached the absolute limit of what we can offer".

On Friday, Birmingham Edgbaston MP Preet Kaur Gill said the union did not need to "get involved" as a "fair deal" was on the table.

She told the BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight that Ms Graham "should have felt confident in her local officers that were negotiating" and they were "getting close to a deal before she got involved".

An Air India passenger plane bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off in Ahmedabad, western India on Thursday.

More than 240 people were on board the flight when it was involved in what the airline called a "tragic accident".

Details are still emerging from the scene. Here is what we know so far.

• Follow live updates on this story

Where was the plane going?

Air India flight AI171 left Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport bound for London Gatwick Airport.

It took off at 13:39 local time, Air India said, and was scheduled to land in Gatwick at 18:25 BST.

All operations have been suspended at Ahmedabad's International Airport until further notice, a spokesperson said.

When and where did it crash?

The passenger plane crashed on departure from Ahmedabad.

According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the signal from the aircraft was lost "less than a minute after take-off".

Flight tracking data ends with the plane at an altitude of 625ft (190m).

The plane gave a mayday call to air traffic control, India's aviation regulator said. No response was given by the aircraft after that.

It crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar. Police told ANI news agency that it had crashed into a doctors' hostel.

Verified footage taken in central Ahmedabad showed huge plumes of black smoke in the sky.

The BBC's Roxy Gagdekar said people near the scene were running to "save as many lives as possible".

He said emergency services were involved in a rescue operation and trying to extinguish a fire, and described seeing bodies being taken from the area.

There has been no official confirmation yet on the number of casualties.

Who was on board?

There were 242 passengers and crew members on board, according to Air India.

Among the passengers were 53 British nationals, 169 Indian nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals.

The aircraft - a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner - had a total of 256 seats on board.

Air India said the injured were being taken to the nearest hospitals.

Officials have been instructed to carry out "immediate rescue and relief operations" and to make arrangements on a "war footing," the chief minister of Gujarat said.

Air India's chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said an "emergency centre has been activated" and a support team put in place for families seeking information.

How have India and the UK reacted?

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "stunned and saddened" by the crash.

"It is heartbreaking beyond words," he said in a statement on X, adding he had been in touch with officials assisting those affected.

UK Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer said the scenes emerging from Ahmedabad were "devastating".

"I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time," he said.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK was working with local authorities in India to "urgently establish the facts" and provide support.

Buckingham Palace said the King was being kept updated about the crash.

Almost all those on board an Air India flight bound for London Gatwick Airport that crashed shortly after take-off in western India have died, the airline has confirmed.

There were 242 passengers and crew on board the plane, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.

Officials earlier said some local people would also have died, given the populated area of Ahmedabad where the plane came down.

One passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived the crash and was treated in hospital for injuries.

Details are still emerging, but these are the people so far confirmed by the BBC to have died.

The Nanabawa family

Three of the British nationals thought to have died in the incident were a family who lived in Gloucester.

Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their daughter Sara Nanabawa were all on board the flight.

A statement from Gloucester Muslim Society said it passed on its "most sincere and deepest condolences".

"No words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss, but we pray that the family may find solace in the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity from communities across the world.

"May their cherished memories provide comfort, and may they rest in eternal peace."

• Live: Latest updates after plane carrying 242 people crashes
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• What we know so far about flight AI171
• Watch: BBC correspondent reports from crash site
• What this means for Boeing

Adam and Hasina Taju, and their son-in-law Altafhusen Patel

Adam Taju, 72, and his wife Hasina, 70, were flying back from Ahmedabad with their 51-year-old son-in-law, Altafhusen Patel. All three lived in London.

The couple's granddaughter, Ammaarah Taju, spoke of her shock and disbelief at her parents home in Blackburn.

She said her father, Altaf Taju, had driven to London to be with his sister as they received updates about the crash from Air India and government officials.

Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek

Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, a married British couple, ran a spiritual wellness centre in London.

They posted on Instagram earlier on Thursday saying they were about to board the flight from Ahmedabad airport.

In the video, they were seen laughing and joking with each other about their trip to India.

Ajay Kumar Ramesh

Ajay Kumar Ramesh was on the flight, sat alongside his brother, the British surviving passenger Vishwashkumar Ramesh.

His cousin, Ajay Valgi, told the BBC that Vishwashkumar Ramesh had called his family to say he was "fine", but he did not know the whereabouts of his brother.

Vijay Rupani

Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of India's Gujarat state, was killed in the crash, the country's civil aviation minister told reporters.

Rupani served as the chief minister of the western Indian state from 2016-21.

He was a member of the governing BJP party.

Singson

Singson was a member of the cabin crew on board Air India flight 171, family said.

Outside the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, her cousin, T. Thanglingo Haokip, told the BBC he was trying to get information about her but was unsuccessful.

He added that Singson had a mother and brother who were "wholly dependent on her" as she "was the only breadwinner" in her family".

Fuel to the engines of the Air India plane involved in a deadly crash was cut off moments after takeoff, a preliminary report has found.

In recovered cockpit voice recordings, the report said one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so".

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after taking off on 12 June from Ahmedabad airport in western India, killing 260 people, most of them passengers. One British national miraculously survived the crash.

An investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is ongoing, with a final, more detailed report expected in 12 months.

According to data from the flight recorder, both of the plane's fuel control switches moved from the run to the cutoff position in the space of a second, shortly after takeoff.

The switches are usually only cut off to turn off the engines after landing, or during emergency situations such as an engine fire - rather than during takeoff.

The cutoff caused both engines to lose thrust, the AAIB report said.

There is then confusion heard in the cockpit, with one pilot asking the other why they had switched off the fuel, which the other denied. The Gatwick-bound plane was being piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar. The report does not specify which voice is which.

The fuel switches then moved back into their normal inflight position, automatically starting the process of relighting the engines. One engine, the report said, was able to regain thrust - but could not reverse the plane's deceleration.

One of the pilots submitted a mayday call just before the plane plummeted and crashed into a building used as doctors' accommodation, causing an explosion.

Both pilots had an "adequate rest period prior" to the flight, the report said.

Experts had previously speculated that birds could have caused the crash, but the report said that "no significant bird activity" was observed in the vicinity of the plane's flight path.

The report said: "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers".

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin in 2019 highlighting that some Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged, the report said.

The issue was not deemed an unsafe condition requiring an Airworthiness Directive - a legally enforceable regulation.

The same switch design is used in Air India's VT-ANB aircraft which crashed. As the bulletin was advisory, Air India did not perform inspections.

There had been no defect reported pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB, the report said.

Experts who spoke to the BBC offered differing opinions on whether this could have played a factor.

An Air India spokesperson said the airline acknowledged receipt of the preliminary report.

"We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses. Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB," the Air India spokesperson added.

In a statement, Boeing said it would defer to AAIB to provide information about the crashed plane, in adherence with protocol under the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It also said it continued to support the investigation and its customer, Air India.

The US National Transportation Safety Board in a statement thanked Indian officials for their cooperation and noted that there were no recommended actions in the report aimed at operators of Boeing-787 jets or the GE engines.

While no conclusions are drawn and the report notes that investigations are ongoing, the focus appears to be on the actions of the pilots.

The preliminary investigation into the crash - one of the worst in recent aviation history - was led by the AAIB, with inputs from Boeing, engine-maker GE, Air India, and aviation regulators from India, the UK and the US.

Under ICAO rules, preliminary reports should be filed within 30 days of a crash, although it isn't mandatory to make them public.

The accident marked the first time a 787-8 Dreamliner suffered a fatal crash since entering service in 2011.

In the days following the crash, the aircraft's Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs) - or "black boxes" - were recovered from the debris, a crucial breakthrough for investigators looking to reconstruct the flight's final moments.

These devices capture extensive flight data and cockpit audio - from pilot radio calls to ambient cockpit sounds.

• Air India says one engine on crashed plane was new
• How the Air India crash investigation is unfolding

The crash is a major setback for Air India, which is in the middle of a business turnaround following its privatisation. It was bought out by the Tata Group from the Indian government in 2022.

The airline has announced a cut in international operations on its wide-body aircraft as it grapples with several disruptions in the aftermath of the crash.

The tragedy has also put the spotlight on aviation safety in India.

Earlier this month, India's civil aviation regulator completed enhanced safety checks on 26 out of Air India's 33 Dreamliners without finding major concerns.

Speaking to the BBC this week, the chief of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) - India's aviation safety regulator - defended the country's record, saying that between 2010 and 2024 it consistently performed better than the world average when it came to the number of accidents annually, except for in two years in which major accidents happened.

However, there have been a number of disquieting reports in recent weeks, highlighting maintenance oversights and training shortfalls.

Northern Ireland and Scotland will see temperatures soar as the UK's third heatwave of the year spreads across the country.

Scotland is likely to see its warmest day of the year with temperatures of up to 31C. Northern Ireland could potentially the mercury rise above 29.5C - the highest recorded temperature so far this year.

For England and Wales, temperatures are expected to be widely in the high 20s to low 30s with the south-west Midlands and south-east Wales predicted to see the hottest temperatures.

However, for eastern parts of England, an easterly breeze will bring slightly cooler temperatures though most areas will still meet heatwave thresholds.

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On Friday, Astwood Bank in the West Midlands recorded the highest temperature of 34.7C.

Amber heat health alerts for southern England, the Midlands, and East Anglia will remain in place until Monday, the UK Health Security Agency said.

Less severe yellow warnings remain in place for northern England, while Scotland and Northern Ireland face warnings of wildfires on Saturday and Sunday.

Yellow weather alerts are issued during periods that are only likely to affect those who are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly, and those with existing health conditions.

Amber alerts are issued in situations that could put the whole population at risk.

For the thousands expected to attend the Wimbledon finals this weekend, temperatures in south-west London will remain high on Saturday and are expected to reach 30C, possibly 32C in some areas, according the Met Office.

Sunday will see a slight dip to 29C in daytime highs, but the heat will remain with a chance of some places around London seeing 30C or above.

This year, Wimbledon has faced some of the hottest temperatures in its 148-year history and has a heat rule in place for all singles matches.

The men's singles semi-final on Friday between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz was stopped twice in less than five minutes due to fans in the crowd requiring medical attention.

Temperatures on Centre Court reached a sweltering 32C on Friday.

Tournament organisers have added more free water refill points on the grounds and increased reminders for fans to take sun precautions and seek shade.

Fire chiefs have also warned people of the increased risk of drowning when trying to keep cool, urging parents to supervise their children at all times around the water.

Dry and hot conditions also make wildfires a crucial concern, with the risk currently rated at "severe" in London by the Natural Hazards Partnership.

"Our experience tells us that wildfires can start in an instant and escalate rapidly. That's why we're asking everyone to stay alert and act responsibly," the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) chairman Phil Garrigan said.

National Rail has warned commuters of possible disruption to travel this weekend as overhead power lines and rails could be affected by the heat.

On Friday, more than seven million people across England and Wales were affected by hosepipe bans, restricting activities including watering of gardens, cleaning cars and filling paddling pools.

The heatwave will be over for most on Monday as cooler Atlantic air spreads, bringing cloud and some showers to northern and western areas.

Scientists warn that extreme weather conditions are made more likely as a result of manmade climate change.