The Great Barrier Reef has suffered mass bleaching events in recent years
The Great Barrier Reef is headed for a "grim future" and will suffer a "rapid coral decline" by 2050 but parts may recover if global warming is kept below 2C, a new study has found.
Researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) used modelling to simulate the lifecycles of certain coral species and found that some were better at adapting to warmer oceans and could help new coral grow.
Reefs near cooler-water currents were also more resilient, giving a "glimmer of hope" to the natural wonder, which has suffered severe climate-induced heat stress in recent years.
The study warned that curbing carbon emissions was crucial to allow coral to recover and avoid a "near collapse" of the reef.
Dr Yves-Marie Bozec, who led the research, said the modelling of more than 3,800 individual reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef looked at their "eco-evolutionary dynamics". This included how corals interact with each other, how they deal with warmer water and corals in naturally cooler areas.
"We ran all of those factors with the most up-to-date climate projections - and the news was not good," he said.
"We forecast a rapid coral decline before the middle of this century regardless of the emissions scenario."
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems, stretching more than 2,300km (1,400 miles) off Australia's north-east coast.
It has suffered four significant marine heatwaves between 2016 and 2022, causing much of its coral to expel the algae which gives them life and colour - a process called bleaching, which is often fatal.
A recent report found that parts of the Great Barrier Reef had suffered the largest annual decline in coral cover since records began nearly 40 years ago.
Dr Bozec said some parts of the reef "may partially recover after 2050, but only if ocean warming is sufficiently slow to allow natural adaptation to keep pace with temperature changes".
"Adaptation may keep pace if global warming does not exceed two degrees by 2100. For that to happen, more action is needed globally to reduce carbon emissions which are driving climate change."
Dr Bozec said: "The window for meaningful action is closing rapidly but it hasn't shut".
Under the Paris agreement, almost 200 nations have pledged to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C and to keep them "well below" 2C above those recorded in pre-industrial times, generally considered to mean the late 19th Century.
Prof Peter Mumby, who also worked on the study, said they found "many reefs could persist under the Paris agreement target of two degrees of warming".
"However, higher emissions leading to faster temperature rises would drive most reefs to a near collapse," he said.
Prof Murphy said reefs in areas "where the water doesn't heat up so dramatically because it is well mixed, fared better than others" and reefs close to populations of corals that can regenerate were also healthier.
Identifying areas of the reef network that are more resilient will mean efforts to protect the reef can focus on "strategic parts" of the ecosystem, he added.
Watch: Can you un-bleach coral? BBC visits remote Australian reef to find out
Headaches are something almost all of us deal with at some point.
They can last from a couple of minutes to days and the pain can be sharp, dull, throbbing or stabbing and sometimes spread beyond your head to your scalp, face or even your neck.
Dr Xand van Tulleken, who hosts the BBC's What's Up Docs wellness podcast, knows the feeling all too well and says he gets headaches once a month or every six weeks and it "feels like someone's drilling into my eyeball".
While it's easy to panic about what might be behind a bad headache, Dr Katy Munro, a GP and expert at the National Migraine Centre, says it's rarely something serious.
"It's natural to worry that something is seriously wrong, but the chances of that are actually very small," she explains.
She advises that if it's your "first or worst headache, get it checked out by a doctor," but if you're getting a pattern of milder, recurring headaches, there are a few simple things you can try at home as well as seeing your GP.
1. How big was the impact on your day?
Dr Xand says understanding your own headaches can be surprisingly helpful as they often don't have a single cause so keeping a diary can help you spot patterns and triggers.
For some people, weather such as thunder and lightning could trigger it, while for others it might be sensitivity to light.
"The worst time for me is when we're driving in the autumn and the sun is low and the sun is flickering through the trees...it really aggravates," says Dr Munro.
It's worth noting down things like:
What you were doing when the headache started
What you ate or drank
How well you slept
The weather
For women, track your menstrual cycle, as headaches can be linked to hormonal changes
But, Dr Munro cautions that you shouldn't overdo it.
"I made the mistake of making mine very detailed, which was depressing. Instead keep it simple and maybe write a number from one to 10 to summarise the impact it had on your day.
"It's also useful to track how many crystal-clear days you have, not just the bad ones.
Your doctor can then review it to help identify patterns.
2. Use caffeine wisely
You might think that caffeine is something you should instantly avoid if you have a headache but Dr Munro says the truth is more nuanced.
In small, careful doses, it can make painkillers more effective if you are not having too much caffeine on a daily basis.
"Caffeine is a co-analgesic which means it can boost the effect of a painkiller," Dr Munro explains, but avoid it in the afternoon and evening as it can disrupt your sleep.
It's worth also thinking about your caffeine consumption more broadly - consuming lots of it every day can cause a caffeine overuse headache and if you suddenly stop, you might get a withdrawal headache.
3. Don't skip meals
What you eat and when may make a difference if you're suffering from headaches.
Dr Munro recommends following a diet similar to the Mediterranean one that is rich in protein, healthy fats and complex carbs which can help stabilise your energy levels.
You should avoid quick-release sugary snacks and definitely don't skip meals as that can be a common trigger.
Dr Munro says she found her headaches were helped by cutting out dairy and gluten, though that's not universal.
"I also found eating regularly and taking lunch to work made a difference," she says.
As well as thinking about food, Dr Munro says regular exercise, good sleep, stress management and staying hydrated can also help reduce headaches.
You should drink enough during the day so your pee is a pale clear colour and you don't feel thirsty.
4. Avoid painkillers with codeine
"There are lots of things, like painkillers or anti-nausea tablets, you can buy over the counter that may be helpful to manage headaches" says Dr Munro.
She cautions that you should avoid "anything containing codeine" as it can make some headaches occur more frequently and can worsen symptoms like nausea.
"Painkillers can work extremely well but it does depend on how severe your headache is.
"If they're becoming more frequent or intense, your GP can help you find a more suitable medication."
Make sure you don't regularly take painkillers on more than two days a week as this will reduce your risk of rebound headaches.
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are on a mission to help us take better care of ourselves. Listen to What's Up Docs? on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your BBC podcasts."
"It's shocking," said Dr Josh Doble, the director of policy and advocacy at Community Land Scotland.
"We are an international anomaly."
Getty Images
The Knoydart peninsula can only be reached by boat or a two-day hike
Lawmakers have been grappling with this issue for a long time but the pace of change has picked up since devolution in 1999.
The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill is the Scottish government's latest wide-ranging and controversial attempt to tackle the issue.
It aims to make community buy-outs easier, to provide tenants with more information about the management of their land, and to give ministers the power to break up some large estates at the point of sale.
SNP ministers say the law gives a voice to the voiceless, handing communities a greater say over their futures.
Opponents have called it an unworkable and unprecedented assault on private property rights. There has even been talk of "class war".
Sarah-Jane Laing of Scottish Land and Estates, which represents many large landowners, says the provisions within the act are being "driven by ideology".
She claims the Scottish government "want to see fragmentation and break up of estates as an end in itself" - an aim Ms Laing describes as "really damaging for people, jobs and nature".
Stephanie Harris said Knoydart had gone from strength to strength
The debate has its roots in the profit-driven clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries when landowners drove people from their estates to make way for sheep and cattle.
They know all about that in Knoydart in the west Highlands, a rugged peninsula accessible only by boat or a two-day hike.
In the 1850s, hundreds of Highlanders were violently evicted from Knoydart. Many were forced to emigrate to Canada.
The Crofters Holdings Act was enacted by William Gladstone's Liberal government and granted security of tenure to small-scale tenant farmers known as crofters.
The Old Forge in Inverie is the most remote pub on the British mainland
The peninsula is home to Great Britain's most remote pub, The Old Forge in Inverie, which is run by Stephanie Harris.
She told us that Knoydart had gone from strength to strength over the past 25 years.
"There's lots more people live here, there's lots of kids here now, there's more private businesses and community enterprises going," she explained.
"There's a lot more opportunities and the fact people still want to come here I think is showing that it's working."
Davie Newton was instrumental in much of that change, building and renovating a pub, shop, village hall and more while also helping to run the Knoydart Foundation which manages the land.
"As the community makes decisions over its own future, it gains confidence by making decisions and getting them right, it gains experience by making decisions and getting them wrong," he said.
The new Land Reform Bill aims to make it easier for other communities to follow in Knoydart's footsteps.
Local residents say there are now more opportunities in Knoydart
But clauses which will hand ministers powers to force the break-up of some big estates are deplored by many landowners and their representatives.
Sarah-Jane Laing said it was not true to say that "big is bad" when it comes to Scottish estates.
"It's almost impossible to deliver some of the peatland restoration, the river restoration - alongside building houses, bringing forward renewables, creating businesses - unless you have scale of ownership," she said.
Ms Laing met us at a more modest but still fairly large landholding – Preston Hall Farm in Midlothian to demonstrate her point – that big can in fact be good.
The 650-hectare estate is home to a range of enterprises, from coffee roasters to picture framers to a pottery studio.
"It's the variety of things that are going on which makes it exciting to manage and run," said the landowner, Will Callander.
"To be blunt, we are not making big sums of money. We're not sitting here driving fast cars and living the high life.
"We live here, we work here, and we want to be surrounded by fun, exciting, happy people."
Dr Josh Doble of Community Land Scotland wants more radical reform
Mr Callander has concerns about the latest land reform legislation which has already generated some talk of legal action to challenge some of its provisions.
"Certainty is what we need," he said.
The new bill was supported by Labour and the Liberal Democrats but the Conservatives voted against, calling it unworkable and devastating.
The Scottish Greens abstained, saying it fell far short of what Scotland needed – and accusing the SNP of failing to stand up to landed elites.
Many land reform campaigners agree with the call for more radical reform.
Dr Josh Doble said Scotland had a rural housing crisis, growing inequality, depleted biodiversity and limited economic opportunities for local people.
"All of that stems back to the fact that we have a very small number of people who control what happens in those areas," he argued.
"If we had a much more democratic and equitable way in which land was shared amongst people, we would start to address those issues in an actually meaningful way."
Like many claims in this debate, that is hotly disputed.
Hundreds of years after they began, battles over land reform look set to rage on in 21st century Scotland.
Watch: Filipino families assess damage after Typhoon Kalmaegi
The death toll from flooding caused by one of the strongest typhoons this year in the central Philippines has risen to at least 114, authorities said on Thursday.
Typhoon Kalmaegi has flooded entire towns on Cebu, the region's most populous island, where 71 deaths were reported. Another 127 are missing and 82 injured, officials said.
Cebu provincial authorities reported an additional 28 deaths, which were not included in the tally released by the national civil defence office, according to AFP news agency.
Kalmaegi left the Philippines on Thursday morning and is currently moving toward central Vietnam, where residents are still reeling from floods that have already killed dozens of people.
Most of the deaths were due to drowning, reports said. The storm sent torrents of muddy water down hillsides and into towns and cities.
Damage to Cebu's residential areas was extensive, with many small buildings swept away and a thick carpet of mud left by the retreating floodwaters.
Local officials described the havoc wrought by the storm as "unprecedented".
Residents returning to their destroyed homes are reeling from the deadly floods earlier this week.
Jel-an Moira Servas, a business owner who lives in Mandaue city, told the BBC that she found herself waist-deep in water within minutes when her house became flooded. She quickly evacuated with her family, bringing only light items like food and electronics.
"Right now, the rain has completely stopped and the sun is out, but our houses are still filled with mud, and everything inside is in shambles," she said. "We don't even know where to start cleaning. I can't even look at it without crying."
Getty Images
The national disaster agency said more than 400,000 people had been displaced by the disaster in Cebu, home to 2.5 million people.
The official death toll also includes six crew members of a military helicopter that crashed on Mindanao island, south of Cebu, after it was deployed to assist in relief efforts on Tuesday.
Carlos Jose Lañas, a volunteer rescuer, told the BBC that despite preparing for the worst case, they were caught off-guard by the extent of the flooding.
"This is the worst flood I've ever experienced," the 19-year-old said. "Almost all the rivers here in Cebu overflowed. Even emergency responders did not expect this kind of scenario."
"The rescue operation was too overwhelming for the emergency responders around Cebu, because there were a lot of people asking for help."
Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally called Tino, is the 20th tropical cyclone this year to hit the Philippines, a country prone to powerful storms.
It comes barely a month after back-to-back typhoons killed over a dozen people and wrought damage to infrastructure and crops.
Super Typhoon Ragasa, known locally as Nando, struck in late September, followed swiftly by Typhoon Bualoi, known locally as Opong.
In the months before, an extraordinarily wet monsoon season caused widespread flooding, sparking anger and protests over unfinished and sub-standard flood control systems that have been blamed on corruption.
Typhoon Kalmaegi left the Philippines at 00:30 local time (16:30pm GMT) on Thursday morning.
It has since strengthened, with maximum sustained winds increasing from 150 km/h to 155 km/h.
It is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam on Friday morning, according to forecasts. More than 50 flights there have been cancelled or rescheduled.
Vietnam has already been battling with a week of flooding and record rains that burst riverbanks and flooded some of the country's most popular tourist spots.
Thailand is also bracing for the storm's impact, with local officials warning of possible flash floods, landslides and river overflows caused by Kalmaegi.
Drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) could be facing a new tax in next month's Budget.
With pressure on the chancellor to find tens of billions of pounds in additional revenue, the BBC understands there have been "conversations" within government about the possibility of a new levy on EVs.
A government spokesperson told the BBC: "Fuel duty covers petrol and diesel, but there's no equivalent for electric vehicles. We want a fairer system for all drivers."
The statement follows a report in the Daily Telegraph, that the Budget would include a new pay-per-mile charge for electric vehicles.
According to the Telegraph EV drivers could be charged 3p per mile, on top of other road taxes, amounting to an extra £12 on a journey from London to Edinburgh. Drivers of hybrid cars would also be charged, but at a lower rate.
The paper says the idea is that owners would have to estimate, and pay for, their road usage for the year ahead. If, at the end of the year, they had driven fewer miles they would have a credit to carry over, but if they had driven more they would face a top-up charge.
Drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles pay fuel duty, so the transition to electric vehicles leaves a shortfall in government revenues, which are already under significant pressure.
Since April of this year, electric cars stopped being exempt from vehicle excise duty, due to a change made in the 2022 Budget.
"We want a fairer system for all drivers whilst backing the transition to electric vehicles," a government spokesperson told the BBC.
"It is right to seek a tax system that fairly funds roads, infrastructure and public services," they added.
However, the government was still backing the transition away from petrol and diesel, they said, pointing to £4bn in support already given, including grants to cut upfront costs by up to £3,750 per eligible vehicle,
"We will look at further support measures to make owning electric vehicles more convenient and more affordable," they said.
There has been growing concerns about the emerging "tax gap" from more petrol and diesel cars coming off the roads.
That has put pay-per-mile systems in the spotlight, but there has been push back from some quarters.
Edmund King, AA president, said while the government was losing fuel duty revenue, it should "tread carefully unless their actions slow down the transition to EVs".
He added that car sales indicated that the government's own zero emissions target would not be met this year, and that the detail of the proposal was needed "to ascertain whether these new taxes will be equitable or a poll tax on wheels".
Headaches are something almost all of us deal with at some point.
They can last from a couple of minutes to days and the pain can be sharp, dull, throbbing or stabbing and sometimes spread beyond your head to your scalp, face or even your neck.
Dr Xand van Tulleken, who hosts the BBC's What's Up Docs wellness podcast, knows the feeling all too well and says he gets headaches once a month or every six weeks and it "feels like someone's drilling into my eyeball".
While it's easy to panic about what might be behind a bad headache, Dr Katy Munro, a GP and expert at the National Migraine Centre, says it's rarely something serious.
"It's natural to worry that something is seriously wrong, but the chances of that are actually very small," she explains.
She advises that if it's your "first or worst headache, get it checked out by a doctor," but if you're getting a pattern of milder, recurring headaches, there are a few simple things you can try at home as well as seeing your GP.
1. How big was the impact on your day?
Dr Xand says understanding your own headaches can be surprisingly helpful as they often don't have a single cause so keeping a diary can help you spot patterns and triggers.
For some people, weather such as thunder and lightning could trigger it, while for others it might be sensitivity to light.
"The worst time for me is when we're driving in the autumn and the sun is low and the sun is flickering through the trees...it really aggravates," says Dr Munro.
It's worth noting down things like:
What you were doing when the headache started
What you ate or drank
How well you slept
The weather
For women, track your menstrual cycle, as headaches can be linked to hormonal changes
But, Dr Munro cautions that you shouldn't overdo it.
"I made the mistake of making mine very detailed, which was depressing. Instead keep it simple and maybe write a number from one to 10 to summarise the impact it had on your day.
"It's also useful to track how many crystal-clear days you have, not just the bad ones.
Your doctor can then review it to help identify patterns.
2. Use caffeine wisely
You might think that caffeine is something you should instantly avoid if you have a headache but Dr Munro says the truth is more nuanced.
In small, careful doses, it can make painkillers more effective if you are not having too much caffeine on a daily basis.
"Caffeine is a co-analgesic which means it can boost the effect of a painkiller," Dr Munro explains, but avoid it in the afternoon and evening as it can disrupt your sleep.
It's worth also thinking about your caffeine consumption more broadly - consuming lots of it every day can cause a caffeine overuse headache and if you suddenly stop, you might get a withdrawal headache.
3. Don't skip meals
What you eat and when may make a difference if you're suffering from headaches.
Dr Munro recommends following a diet similar to the Mediterranean one that is rich in protein, healthy fats and complex carbs which can help stabilise your energy levels.
You should avoid quick-release sugary snacks and definitely don't skip meals as that can be a common trigger.
Dr Munro says she found her headaches were helped by cutting out dairy and gluten, though that's not universal.
"I also found eating regularly and taking lunch to work made a difference," she says.
As well as thinking about food, Dr Munro says regular exercise, good sleep, stress management and staying hydrated can also help reduce headaches.
You should drink enough during the day so your pee is a pale clear colour and you don't feel thirsty.
4. Avoid painkillers with codeine
"There are lots of things, like painkillers or anti-nausea tablets, you can buy over the counter that may be helpful to manage headaches" says Dr Munro.
She cautions that you should avoid "anything containing codeine" as it can make some headaches occur more frequently and can worsen symptoms like nausea.
"Painkillers can work extremely well but it does depend on how severe your headache is.
"If they're becoming more frequent or intense, your GP can help you find a more suitable medication."
Make sure you don't regularly take painkillers on more than two days a week as this will reduce your risk of rebound headaches.
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are on a mission to help us take better care of ourselves. Listen to What's Up Docs? on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your BBC podcasts."
Specialist ADHD services for adults are stopping taking on new patients as they struggle to cope with demand, a BBC investigation has shown.
The BBC has identified 15 local areas that have closed waiting lists and another 31 that have introduced tighter criteria, making it more difficult to access support.
Reacting to our investigation, Prof Anita Thapar, chair of NHS England's ADHD taskforce, said the findings were "disturbing", adding there were "enormous risks" for patients.
It comes as she prepares to publish her report into the state of ADHD services on Thursday, which is expected to recommend an overhaul of the way people are supported.
ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - affects the way the brain works and can cause people to act impulsively and become easily distracted.
It is thought to affect 5% of children and 3-4% of adults, although many remain undiagnosed.
Getting a diagnosis and treatment, which can include medication and psychological therapy, can be life-changing, experts say.
And now a BBC investigation has found a significant number of areas are restricting access to those waiting lists.
The BBC received information from 59 services, which accounts for the majority of those providing support in England, after submitting freedom of information requests.
The responses showed:
15 trusts had halted all or part of their referrals - some cover large areas and have closed their waiting lists to just some places
In Cheshire, the service for adults has been closed to new patients since 2019
Of the remaining trusts, 31 were rationing care by bringing in exclusions, such as by age or severity
One trust, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, is being threatened with legal action for restricting adult assessments to people under 25 only
In some areas, people referred for support by GPs can use something called 'right to choose' to go onto another NHS list or ask for private support, which would provide an alternative option if their local NHS has stopped taking on new referrals.
The BBC investigation also found examples of areas that are innovating. One of those is Surrey where the local service, which has 11,000 adults on its waiting list, is piloting a scheme to train a group of private GPs to carry out assessments and treatment.
Louise has been waiting years for an assessment for ADHD
Louise Nichols, who suspects she has ADHD, is just one of many people affected by the rationing.
Even when she was at primary school she struggled. She was diagnosed with school phobia and ended up being home schooled for a while, and has since found it hard to stay in a job.
The mother-of-one says it is frustrating to see everyone else managing, while she finds daily life hard.
"I need a way of helping me function to the best of my abilities. Whether that's medication or whether that's support," she says.
"I'm hoping to get a part-time job. I want to be part of my community."
The 45-year-old lives in Derbyshire, but as this area does not have its own service, she was on the waiting list with the neighbouring Sheffield trust for two years.
But she was taken off that list in October last year because Sheffield stopped doing assessments for people who live outside their borders, as it's struggling to keep up with demand. There are more than 3,700 people in the county in the same position.
She said it was really disappointing. "I can't understand why a national health service isn't across the whole nation. "
Patients at risk
Prof Thapar said the problems being encountered by people like Louise were unacceptable and showed the "historic neglect" of ADHD by the NHS.
She called the BBC's findings "disturbing", adding: "There's enormous risks. It's not a trivial condition."
With the right support, she said people with ADHD can thrive, but there were "high, high risks" that without that support, people's conditions can become much more complicated.
This, she said, can include mental health problems, substance misuse, unemployment and getting in trouble with the criminal justice system.
And Dr Jessica Eccles, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said services were having to make difficult decisions because "rising demand was outstripping capacity" in many parts of the country.
"There are unacceptably long waiting lists," she added.
'Diagnosis transformed my life'
Sam's life has been transformed by getting his ADHD diagnosis
Patients who have received support say it has transformed their lives.
Sam Stone is an example of that, but he had to battle to get help.
The 33-year-old, who lives near Gloucester, paid for a private diagnosis on his health insurance, but his GP wouldn't accept it and he had to go back on an NHS waiting list to get it confirmed.
He is angry at how complicated the system is. "I almost struggle to think about it as a system, to be honest, because it feels like there's such a cacophony of routes that it almost feels like you're constantly trying to hack the system."
Sam said the diagnosis has been life-changing. He had been on and off anti-depressants since the age of 16, but he is now on medication for his ADHD.
He said it was like having a cloud hanging over him removed.
"It's massive, it's huge," Sam says.
Additional reporting by Elena Bailey and data analysis by Rob England
Fatima Bosch said Nawat Itsaragrisil was "not respectful" at a pre-pageant ceremony on Tuesday
Several contestants have walked out of a Miss Universe event after an official from host nation Thailand publicly berated Miss Mexico in a tense confrontation.
At a pre-pageant ceremony, Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil told off Fatima Bosch in front of dozens of contestants for failing to post promotional content.
When she objected, Mr Itsaragrisil called security and threatened to disqualify those supporting her. Ms Bosch then left the room and others joined her in solidarity.
Video of the incident, which was live streamed, has been shared online. The Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) has condemned Mr Itsaragrisil's "malicious" behaviour, for which he has since apologised.
The Miss Universe contestants, who are the winners of national pageants in their home countries, attended Tuesday's event in their sashes and gowns.
Some can be heard shouting back at Mr Itsaragrisil in the video, after he raises his voice to reprimand Ms Bosch and repeatedly tells her to stop talking.
As many of them stand to show support, Mr Itsaragrisil says: "If anyone wants to continue the contest, sit down. If you step out, the rest of the girls continue."
Despite this, the majority of the women in the video appear standing, with several heading towards the door.
After leaving the event on Tuesday, Ms Bosch told the press the 60-year-old executive was "not respectful" and said he had called her "dumb".
Mr Itsaragrisil has disputed this, claiming his words had been misunderstood.
He is widely reported to have called the 25-year-old a "dumbhead". But at a press conference he later claimed he was saying she had caused "damage".
His conduct prompted a stern rebuke from the MUO, which has sent a delegation of international executives to take over running the competition.
In a video statement, MUO President Raul Rocha said Mr Itsaragrisil had "forgotten the true meaning of what it means to be a genuine host".
He said the Thai official had "humiliated, insulted and showed a lack of respect" to Ms Bosch, and committed the "serious abuse of having called security to intimidate a defenceless woman".
Mr Itsaragrisil's participation in the pageant would be limited "as much as possible" or eliminated entirely, he said, adding the MUO would be taking "legal actions" against him.
"I wish to reiterate that Miss Universe is an empowerment platform for women so that their voices can be heard in the world," Mr Rocha said.
RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA/Shutterstock
Thai businessman and media personality Nawat Itsaragrisil has apologised for the incident
Among those to walk out on Tuesday was reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark.
"This is about women's rights," she said as she left the event. "This is not how things should be handled. To trash another girl is beyond disrespectful... That's why I'm taking my coat and I'm walking out."
Ms Bosch later said in an interview: "I just want to let my country know, I'm not afraid to make my voice heard. It's here stronger than ever. I have a purpose. I have things to say.
"We're in the 21st century. I'm not a doll to be made up, styled and have my clothes changed," she added.
"I came here to be a voice for all the women and all the girls who fight for causes and to tell my country that I'm completely committed to that."
Video of Mr Itsaragrisil has outraged fans of the pageant, with many heavily criticising his actions and praising Ms Bosch's response.
In a social media video statement, Mr Itsaragrisil said: "If anyone feels bad, uncomfortable, or affected, I apologise to everyone. I especially apologised to the girls who were present, around 75 of them."
The Miss Universe competition has pressed on despite this controversy, with contestants taking part in a welcome event in Bangkok on Wednesday.
The winner will be crowned the new Miss Universe on 21 November.
Prince William with Kylie Minogue at the awards ceremony
The Prince of Wales has revealed the five winners of this year's environmental Earthshot Prize, calling them an "inspiration that gives us courage".
Prince William said their work was "proof that progress is possible" during Wednesday evening's awards ceremony in Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Tomorrow.
Winners include a project for making South America's Atlantic Forest financially viable and a global ocean treaty initiative aimed at conserving marine life.
Brazilian football legend Cafu, Olympic gymnast Rebeca Andrade and former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel were among the award presenters.
Performances from Kylie Minogue, Shawn Mendes and Brazilian queen of pop Anitta also got the jubilant mood swinging.
Earthshot Prize supports eco-friendly projects from around the world, and annually awards each of the five winners with a £1m grant to scale up their ideas aimed at repairing the world's climate.
Organisers of the initiative were inspired by former US President John F Kennedy's Moonshot project, which challenged scientists to get astronauts to the Moon and back safely.
Hosted by award-winning Brazilian broadcaster Luciano Huck, the awards ceremony was addressed by Prince William, the Earthshot Prize's president.
"When I founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, we had a 10-year goal: to make this the decade in which we transformed our world for the better," he told attendees.
"We set out to tackle environmental issues head on and make real, lasting changes that would protect life on Earth."
There are five Earthshots or goals: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World; and Fix Our Climate.
The future king has committed himself to it for 10 years, with Rio marking a halfway point for the venture.
This year saw nearly 2,500 nominees submitted from 72 countries. Out of them, 15 finalists were selected, from which the five winners were chosen.
Earthshot Prize 2025 - Full list of winners
Protect and Restore Nature: re.green, in Brazil, is making protecting one of the world's most important ecosystems, the Atlantic Forest, financially viable
Clean Our Air: The city of Bogotá, has shown how public policy can bring lasting change, through means such as clean air zones and re-greening degraded areas in the Colombian capital
Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty is a global ocean initiative that will set out clear measures to conserve marine life, among other things, and will go into effect from January 2026
Build a Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week, in Nigeria, is redefining the industry, with each designer wishing to showcase required to show their commitment to sustainable practice
Fix Our Climate: Friendship is dedicated to helping vulnerable communities across Bangladesh for a multiude of things from access to public services, health, education and preparing for natural disasters
Referring to the winners as "innovators", Prince William called the Earthshot Prize a "mission driven by the kind of extraordinary optimism we have felt here tonight".
"There's a great deal we can learn from their determination, their vision for scale, and their unyielding belief that we can create a better world."
The chair of the board of trustees, Christiana Figueres, said they were building a "global legacy".
"These winners are proof that the spirit of collective action born here in Rio continues to grow stronger, more determined, and more urgent than ever.
"Their 2030 aims are deeply ambitious - but their impact to date, their plans in place and their tenacity fuels my optimism."
Earlier in the day, Prince William met the 15 finalists during a visit to the Christ the Redeemer statue, where he posed for a photograph on the same spot his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, did 34 years ago.
But much of the prince's five-day visit to Brazil has been focused on climate and the environment.
On Tuesday, he criticised criminals for their involvment in the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest during a speech at the United for Wildlife conference.
He also travelled to the small island of Paqueta, where he met locals, learnt about mangrove conservation and planted tree saplings.
On Thursday, he will be travelling to Belem in the Amazon rainforest, where he is scheduled to give a speech at COP30, the UN's annual climate change meeting.
If you've ever wanted to create your own computer program but never learnt how to code, you might try "vibe coding".
Collins Dictionary's word of the year - which is confusingly made up of two words - is the art of making an app or website by describing it to artificial intelligence (AI) rather than by writing programming code manually.
The term was coined in February by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy, who came up with the name to represent how AI can let some programmers "forget that the code even exists" and "give in to the vibes" while making a computer program.
It was one of 10 words on a shortlist to reflect the mood, language and preoccupations of 2025.
By giving an AI tool a simple description such as "make me a program that schedules my weekly meals", people can use "vibe coding" to make basic apps without any previous programming knowledge.
More complicated tools still require skill, but the practice has opened up creating digital platforms to non-coders.
As many have discovered, it isn't perfect - with no guarantee the code will actually work or be free of bugs.
Alex Beecroft, the Managing Director of Collins, said the term "perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology".
'Clankers' and 'broligarchy'
Not all the words necessarily first emerged in 2025 - but Collins decided this was the year they became popular.
For example "clanker", a term used to describe robots in Star Wars games and movies since the mid 2000s, made the list after it went viral on TikTok in July as people shared their frustrations with AI-powered machines.
While "aura farming" - people doing things for the sake of looking cool, often when they know they're being filmed - was first used in January 2024, but became increasingly popular over the course of 2025.
Headaches are something almost all of us deal with at some point.
They can last from a couple of minutes to days and the pain can be sharp, dull, throbbing or stabbing and sometimes spread beyond your head to your scalp, face or even your neck.
Dr Xand van Tulleken, who hosts the BBC's What's Up Docs wellness podcast, knows the feeling all too well and says he gets headaches once a month or every six weeks and it "feels like someone's drilling into my eyeball".
While it's easy to panic about what might be behind a bad headache, Dr Katy Munro, a GP and expert at the National Migraine Centre, says it's rarely something serious.
"It's natural to worry that something is seriously wrong, but the chances of that are actually very small," she explains.
She advises that if it's your "first or worst headache, get it checked out by a doctor," but if you're getting a pattern of milder, recurring headaches, there are a few simple things you can try at home as well as seeing your GP.
1. How big was the impact on your day?
Dr Xand says understanding your own headaches can be surprisingly helpful as they often don't have a single cause so keeping a diary can help you spot patterns and triggers.
For some people, weather such as thunder and lightning could trigger it, while for others it might be sensitivity to light.
"The worst time for me is when we're driving in the autumn and the sun is low and the sun is flickering through the trees...it really aggravates," says Dr Munro.
It's worth noting down things like:
What you were doing when the headache started
What you ate or drank
How well you slept
The weather
For women, track your menstrual cycle, as headaches can be linked to hormonal changes
But, Dr Munro cautions that you shouldn't overdo it.
"I made the mistake of making mine very detailed, which was depressing. Instead keep it simple and maybe write a number from one to 10 to summarise the impact it had on your day.
"It's also useful to track how many crystal-clear days you have, not just the bad ones.
Your doctor can then review it to help identify patterns.
2. Use caffeine wisely
You might think that caffeine is something you should instantly avoid if you have a headache but Dr Munro says the truth is more nuanced.
In small, careful doses, it can make painkillers more effective if you are not having too much caffeine on a daily basis.
"Caffeine is a co-analgesic which means it can boost the effect of a painkiller," Dr Munro explains, but avoid it in the afternoon and evening as it can disrupt your sleep.
It's worth also thinking about your caffeine consumption more broadly - consuming lots of it every day can cause a caffeine overuse headache and if you suddenly stop, you might get a withdrawal headache.
3. Don't skip meals
What you eat and when may make a difference if you're suffering from headaches.
Dr Munro recommends following a diet similar to the Mediterranean one that is rich in protein, healthy fats and complex carbs which can help stabilise your energy levels.
You should avoid quick-release sugary snacks and definitely don't skip meals as that can be a common trigger.
Dr Munro says she found her headaches were helped by cutting out dairy and gluten, though that's not universal.
"I also found eating regularly and taking lunch to work made a difference," she says.
As well as thinking about food, Dr Munro says regular exercise, good sleep, stress management and staying hydrated can also help reduce headaches.
You should drink enough during the day so your pee is a pale clear colour and you don't feel thirsty.
4. Avoid painkillers with codeine
"There are lots of things, like painkillers or anti-nausea tablets, you can buy over the counter that may be helpful to manage headaches" says Dr Munro.
She cautions that you should avoid "anything containing codeine" as it can make some headaches occur more frequently and can worsen symptoms like nausea.
"Painkillers can work extremely well but it does depend on how severe your headache is.
"If they're becoming more frequent or intense, your GP can help you find a more suitable medication."
Make sure you don't regularly take painkillers on more than two days a week as this will reduce your risk of rebound headaches.
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are on a mission to help us take better care of ourselves. Listen to What's Up Docs? on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your BBC podcasts."
Several papers lead on the mistaken release of two prisoners from Wandsworth Prison in London. "Not again" is the Daily Mirror's assessment of the mishap, which occurred soon after sex offender Hadush Kebatu was wrongly freed from a prison in Essex. The blunders show that prisons are "in chaos", the paper writes.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was "grilled" by MPs at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday over whether he knew of any more inmates that had been wrongly released, Metro leads. The paper reports that Lammy was told about at least one of the prisoners before PMQs, but instead "castigated the state of the criminal justice system inherited from the Conservatives" at the despatch box.
The government was told to "get a grip on the prison fiasco" following the "shocking" release of the prisoners, the Daily Express writes. A "major manhunt" is under way to find 24-year-old Algerian national Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and 35-year-old William Smith.
The hunt for the two men comes as police chiefs warn that Labour's "soft-justice" reforms will "unleash a crimewave on the streets", the Daily Mail reports. The "unprecedented intervention" was issued as the government "was left reeling by another day of chaos in the creaking criminal justice system", according to the paper.
Lammy is "absolutely outraged" by the mistakes, which he says "expose deeper flaws" about the criminal justice system, the i Paper writes. The former security chief of Wandsworth Prison says: "This is a prison in freefall".
Sex offender Kaddour-Cherif was free for six days before the error was spotted, according to the Times, which reports that Lammy has been "snared" by the latest prison blunder. The paper writes that the mistake happened because of a "complete breakdown in communications", and officials only realised the inmate was missing when he was due to appear in court and could not be found.
During PMQs, Lammy "refused multiple times to say whether any more prisoners had been released in error", the Guardian reports. But Kaddour-Cherif's mistaken release was announced almost immediately after the "bruising session" of questioning ended. The paper's front page also features a photo of Zohran Mamdani, the winner of Tuesday's New York City mayoral election.
"Democratic cheer" is the headline for the Financial Times, which writes that Mamdani's victory is a "resounding snub to Trump". Elsewhere, the paper features warnings from Nvidia boss Jensen Huang that China "is going to win the AI race" with the US.
The Daily Telegraph leads on a new pay-per-mile tax for electric vehicle drivers set to be unveiled in the Budget. The paper also reports on whistleblower accusations that the BBC's coverage of transgender issues is subject to "effective censorship" by reporters who refuse to cover gender-critical stories. Asked by BBC News, a BBC spokesperson said: "While we don't comment on leaked documents, when the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully. We have taken a number of actions relating to our reporting of sex and gender including updating the news style guide and sharing new guidance, making our Social Affairs Editor responsible for this coverage, and where there have been concerns about particular stories, we have addressed them. We continually review our coverage to reflect developments such as the recent Supreme Court Ruling."
In a Hollywood exclusive, the Sun leads on the "acting return" of the Duchess of Sussex, who this week filmed scenes for the movie Close Personal Friends eight years after announcing her retirement from the screen. A source tells the paper that "this is a massive moment for Meghan".
Finally, the Daily Star reports that British troops based overseas will get free mobile use thanks to a "Remembrance Day tribute" from Vodafone. "Call of duty" is their headline.
It is always perilous for a government when it clearly lacks grip on an issue voters would reasonably expect it to be in control of.
The stand out example of this in recent years has been the arrival of migrants on small boats.
From Rishi Sunak's promise to "stop the boats" to Sir Keir Starmer's promise to "smash the gangs" both have been found wanting and the problem remains huge.
Now the government confronts another example: a justice system that is palpably, transparently and repeatedly failing – and where measures designed to address the issue of letting prisoners out by accident aren't working.
According to government figures published in July, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March of this year - a 128% increase on 115 in the previous 12 months.
In other words, it has been a problem for some time, and it is getting worse.
And, context is everything in politics: this row now comes after the mistaken release of perhaps the most high-profile prisoner jailed this year.
Hadush Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was jailed after sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Epping in Essex, only to be let out by accident. He has since been deported.
It gave the issue of accidental releases from prison a salience and prominence it hadn't had until then.
Once again, we are seeing ministers use the language we usually see from opposition politicians.
The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has described the number of people arriving on small boats as "shameful".
Now, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy is saying he is "absolutely outraged" over the mistaken release a week ago of Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian sex offender.
Lammy added that his officials have been "working through the night to take him back to prison."
Which brings us to the messy genesis of this saga, at B-Team Prime Minister's Question Time on Wednesday lunchtime.
With the prime minister at the COP climate summit in Brazil, it was his deputy who was answering questions.
The Conservatives put up the shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge, who repeated a question, using a very particular form of words, over and over again.
He wanted to know if an "asylum-seeking offender had been accidentally released from prison".
It was obvious from the Press Gallery that Cartlidge was on to something – because of the apparent precision of his language and his constant repetition of the question.
But Lammy chose to repeatedly duck the question, despite, we later learnt, knowing about the case Cartlidge was referring to.
So why didn't he address it?
It turns out Cartlidge had got his facts wrong - Kaddour-Cherif isn't an asylum seeker. He arrived here legally but then stayed after his visa expired.
And, I understand, Lammy wasn't certain on entering the chamber whether he was an asylum seeker or not.
So setting out what he knew might also have exposed what he didn't.
His team insist "it is incredibly important to know the facts" and they argue it was for the police in the first instance to do that publicly.
Really? It seems reasonable to ask both whether Lammy could or should have known more when he arrived in the chamber and whether he could or should have disclosed more when he was there.
The Conservatives later called for him to return to the Commons to set out what he knew. The former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith suggested he may have misled the Commons. The Liberal Democrats and Reform have been very critical too.
Some also suggest Lammy's manner – shouting "get a grip, man!" at Cartlidge, among other things – was a mistake.
Could he instead have chosen to set out what he did and didn't know about the case at the beginning of the exchanges, before he took any questions?
But it is the bigger picture here that really matters: the justice system is currently repeatedly failing in that most basic of its tasks – who should be in prison and who shouldn't.
The reasons for that are complex – with difficult questions for the courts, individual prisons, the Prison Service, the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.
It is not a new problem, but it is a growing one, and one the government doesn't have a grip on. And that, if you are the justice secretary, is a problem.
President Donald Trump was swept to power for a second time on the back of a central campaign promise to tackle inflation.
The steep rise in the cost of living was top of voters' minds and Trump blamed President Joe Biden.
He also made sweeping promises to bring down prices for Americans "starting on day one".
One year on from his victory, BBC Verify revisits some of the president's claims.
Groceries
"When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One," Trump declared at an August 2024 news conference surrounded by packaged foods, milk, meats and eggs.
"The president of the United States has very little control over the price of food, especially in the short term," food economics expert Professor David Ortega told BBC Verify.
Trump's tariffs are driving up prices of certain foods, he said - a third of coffee consumed in the US comes from Brazil and therefore has a 50% tariff.
Trump's illegal immigration crackdown may also have had an impact, Ortega adds, especially in farming where as many as 40% of workers are estimated to be undocumented, which is close to a million people.
"As you know, farmers and companies have to raise wages in order to attract more labour. But trying to quantify those impacts in terms of price increase is almost impossible at the moment."
Diane Swonk, the chief economist for KPMG, believes tariff and immigration policy changes have contributed to higher costs.
"There's no question that those shifts are now starting to show up as inflation pressures," she said.
But she adds that other factors, including weather events, have contributed.
"On coffee you had climate issues for a very bad growing season and that was exacerbated by a tariff on Brazil and also Colombia," she said.
Getty Images
A White House official told BBC Verify President Trump did not control weather patterns in South America and coffee prices hikes were a global phenomenon.
The same official said the president was addressing rising beef prices by temporarily increasing imports.
While grocery prices are up overall, not every item has become more expensive.
When Trump succeeded Biden in January, the price of a dozen large eggs was $4.93 (£3.79), rising to a record high of $6.23 (£4.78) in March following bird flu outbreaks.
Since then prices have fallen to $3.49 (£2.68) a dozen.
"President Trump's supply-side policies are taming Joe Biden's inflation crisis," White House Spokesman Kush Desai said.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to cut electricity bills sharply.
"Under my administration we will be slashing energy and electricity prices by half within 12 months, at a maximum 18 months," he told a rally in August 2024.
Since he became president, prices have risen.
The latest figures show average residential electricity rates reached 17.62 cents per kWh (kilowatt hour) in August 2025 - up from 15.94 cents per kWh in January 2025, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
"It was technically impossible [to halve prices] at the time he made the promise," according to Professor James Sweeney from the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy.
Electricity prices not only reflect the cost of generation but also the expense of delivering it through "the wires and the transformers and everything else", he explained.
Prof Sweeney attributes the increase to both demand and supply issues.
"We have a surge in demand mostly driven by data centres. People creating images using artificial intelligence are using significant amounts of electricity."
Getty Images
Prof Sweeney says there has been a surge in demand for electricity mostly driven by data centres.
He added that cuts to renewable energy subsidies and tariffs on imported steel - which raise the cost of building new power generators - have also pushed up prices.
Swonk agreed that the AI boom is pushing up prices, especially for those on lower incomes.
"It exacerbates inequality because consumers that have more access to solar panels and renewables tend to be wealthier households," she said.
In response a White House official said that Trump was expanding coal, natural gas and nuclear power, which was "the only viable way to meet the growing energy demand and to lower energy prices".
Cars
At a campaign rally in September 2024, Trump extended his grocery pledge to cars, telling supporters: "We're going to get the prices down… groceries, cars, everything".
However, the average price of a new car topped $50,000 (£38,411) for the first time ever in September, up from $48,283 (£37,092) in January according to Kelley Blue Book, a US vehicle valuation research company.
Car prices typically rise 2-3% a year, explained Erin Keating from Cox Automotive.
"Tariffs, which have been the biggest factor in the automotive industry over the last 12 months, have been nothing but inflationary."
She explained new car prices are increasing by about 4% a year, with tariffs contributing at least one percentage point.
"We really think in 2026 that's going to go higher because most of the manufacturers are holding their fire on raising prices directly due to tariffs, but they're going to have to come in at some point."
Keating did point to tax breaks for people in Trump's spending bill, which she believes may incentivise people to buy new cars.
When asked about the rising price of cars, a White House official told BBC Verify the administration had taken historic regulatory actions to "reverse the left's radical energy scam and save billions annually".
Getty Images
A White House official said the administration had taken historic regulatory actions to "save billions annually".
Gasoline
Trump made a specific campaign pledge of "getting gasoline below $2 a gallon".
In response, a White House official pointed us to a gas price comparison website, which had a slightly lower national average of $2.97 (£2.38) per gallon compared with the AAA's data.
The official added that President Trump has quickly unleashed American energy to make gas affordable again for families across the country.
It is always perilous for a government when it clearly lacks grip on an issue voters would reasonably expect it to be in control of.
The stand out example of this in recent years has been the arrival of migrants on small boats.
From Rishi Sunak's promise to "stop the boats" to Sir Keir Starmer's promise to "smash the gangs" both have been found wanting and the problem remains huge.
Now the government confronts another example: a justice system that is palpably, transparently and repeatedly failing – and where measures designed to address the issue of letting prisoners out by accident aren't working.
According to government figures published in July, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March of this year - a 128% increase on 115 in the previous 12 months.
In other words, it has been a problem for some time, and it is getting worse.
And, context is everything in politics: this row now comes after the mistaken release of perhaps the most high-profile prisoner jailed this year.
Hadush Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was jailed after sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Epping in Essex, only to be let out by accident. He has since been deported.
It gave the issue of accidental releases from prison a salience and prominence it hadn't had until then.
Once again, we are seeing ministers use the language we usually see from opposition politicians.
The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has described the number of people arriving on small boats as "shameful".
Now, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy is saying he is "absolutely outraged" over the mistaken release a week ago of Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian sex offender.
Lammy added that his officials have been "working through the night to take him back to prison."
Which brings us to the messy genesis of this saga, at B-Team Prime Minister's Question Time on Wednesday lunchtime.
With the prime minister at the COP climate summit in Brazil, it was his deputy who was answering questions.
The Conservatives put up the shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge, who repeated a question, using a very particular form of words, over and over again.
He wanted to know if an "asylum-seeking offender had been accidentally released from prison".
It was obvious from the Press Gallery that Cartlidge was on to something – because of the apparent precision of his language and his constant repetition of the question.
But Lammy chose to repeatedly duck the question, despite, we later learnt, knowing about the case Cartlidge was referring to.
So why didn't he address it?
It turns out Cartlidge had got his facts wrong - Kaddour-Cherif isn't an asylum seeker. He arrived here legally but then stayed after his visa expired.
And, I understand, Lammy wasn't certain on entering the chamber whether he was an asylum seeker or not.
So setting out what he knew might also have exposed what he didn't.
His team insist "it is incredibly important to know the facts" and they argue it was for the police in the first instance to do that publicly.
Really? It seems reasonable to ask both whether Lammy could or should have known more when he arrived in the chamber and whether he could or should have disclosed more when he was there.
The Conservatives later called for him to return to the Commons to set out what he knew. The former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith suggested he may have misled the Commons. The Liberal Democrats and Reform have been very critical too.
Some also suggest Lammy's manner – shouting "get a grip, man!" at Cartlidge, among other things – was a mistake.
Could he instead have chosen to set out what he did and didn't know about the case at the beginning of the exchanges, before he took any questions?
But it is the bigger picture here that really matters: the justice system is currently repeatedly failing in that most basic of its tasks – who should be in prison and who shouldn't.
The reasons for that are complex – with difficult questions for the courts, individual prisons, the Prison Service, the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.
It is not a new problem, but it is a growing one, and one the government doesn't have a grip on. And that, if you are the justice secretary, is a problem.
Specialist ADHD services for adults are stopping taking on new patients as they struggle to cope with demand, a BBC investigation has shown.
The BBC has identified 15 local areas that have closed waiting lists and another 31 that have introduced tighter criteria, making it more difficult to access support.
Reacting to our investigation, Prof Anita Thapar, chair of NHS England's ADHD taskforce, said the findings were "disturbing", adding there were "enormous risks" for patients.
It comes as she prepares to publish her report into the state of ADHD services on Thursday, which is expected to recommend an overhaul of the way people are supported.
ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - affects the way the brain works and can cause people to act impulsively and become easily distracted.
It is thought to affect 5% of children and 3-4% of adults, although many remain undiagnosed.
Getting a diagnosis and treatment, which can include medication and psychological therapy, can be life-changing, experts say.
And now a BBC investigation has found a significant number of areas are restricting access to those waiting lists.
The BBC received information from 59 services, which accounts for the majority of those providing support in England, after submitting freedom of information requests.
The responses showed:
15 trusts had halted all or part of their referrals - some cover large areas and have closed their waiting lists to just some places
In Cheshire, the service for adults has been closed to new patients since 2019
Of the remaining trusts, 31 were rationing care by bringing in exclusions, such as by age or severity
One trust, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, is being threatened with legal action for restricting adult assessments to people under 25 only
In some areas, people referred for support by GPs can use something called 'right to choose' to go onto another NHS list or ask for private support, which would provide an alternative option if their local NHS has stopped taking on new referrals.
The BBC investigation also found examples of areas that are innovating. One of those is Surrey where the local service, which has 11,000 adults on its waiting list, is piloting a scheme to train a group of private GPs to carry out assessments and treatment.
Louise has been waiting years for an assessment for ADHD
Louise Nichols, who suspects she has ADHD, is just one of many people affected by the rationing.
Even when she was at primary school she struggled. She was diagnosed with school phobia and ended up being home schooled for a while, and has since found it hard to stay in a job.
The mother-of-one says it is frustrating to see everyone else managing, while she finds daily life hard.
"I need a way of helping me function to the best of my abilities. Whether that's medication or whether that's support," she says.
"I'm hoping to get a part-time job. I want to be part of my community."
The 45-year-old lives in Derbyshire, but as this area does not have its own service, she was on the waiting list with the neighbouring Sheffield trust for two years.
But she was taken off that list in October last year because Sheffield stopped doing assessments for people who live outside their borders, as it's struggling to keep up with demand. There are more than 3,700 people in the county in the same position.
She said it was really disappointing. "I can't understand why a national health service isn't across the whole nation. "
Patients at risk
Prof Thapar said the problems being encountered by people like Louise were unacceptable and showed the "historic neglect" of ADHD by the NHS.
She called the BBC's findings "disturbing", adding: "There's enormous risks. It's not a trivial condition."
With the right support, she said people with ADHD can thrive, but there were "high, high risks" that without that support, people's conditions can become much more complicated.
This, she said, can include mental health problems, substance misuse, unemployment and getting in trouble with the criminal justice system.
And Dr Jessica Eccles, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said services were having to make difficult decisions because "rising demand was outstripping capacity" in many parts of the country.
"There are unacceptably long waiting lists," she added.
'Diagnosis transformed my life'
Sam's life has been transformed by getting his ADHD diagnosis
Patients who have received support say it has transformed their lives.
Sam Stone is an example of that, but he had to battle to get help.
The 33-year-old, who lives near Gloucester, paid for a private diagnosis on his health insurance, but his GP wouldn't accept it and he had to go back on an NHS waiting list to get it confirmed.
He is angry at how complicated the system is. "I almost struggle to think about it as a system, to be honest, because it feels like there's such a cacophony of routes that it almost feels like you're constantly trying to hack the system."
Sam said the diagnosis has been life-changing. He had been on and off anti-depressants since the age of 16, but he is now on medication for his ADHD.
He said it was like having a cloud hanging over him removed.
"It's massive, it's huge," Sam says.
Additional reporting by Elena Bailey and data analysis by Rob England
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has said she will press charges against a man who groped her during a public appearance.
Mobile phone footage of the incident on Tuesday shows Sheinbaum speaking to a group of supporters on a street near the National Palace in Mexico City.
In the video, a man approaches her from behind and attempts to kiss her on the neck and place his hands on her body.
Sheinbaum moved away quickly and a member of her team stepped in, but she was visibly shaken. The offender has been arrested.
"My view is, if I don't file a complaint, what will happen to other Mexican women? If they do this to the president, what will happen to all women in our country?" Sheinbaum said at a news conference on Wednesday.
"I decided to press charges because this is something that I experienced as a woman, but that we as women experience in our country," she said. "I have experienced it before, when I wasn't president, when I was a student."
She added that she had decided to press ahead with bringing charges against the suspect as he had allegedly harassed other women in the crowd.
"A line must be drawn," she said.
Women's rights groups and feminist commentators have said the incident shows the extent of ingrained machismo in Mexican society, where a man believes he has the right to accost even the president if she is a woman.
Femicide is also a huge problem in Mexico, with a staggering 98% of gender-based murders estimated to go unpunished.
Sheinbaum promised to tackle the issue as a candidate, but so far in her administration there has been no discernible improvement in that area of violent crime.
The incident also comes amid discussions about presidential security and the wider safety of politicians.
As president, Sheinbaum has broadly followed the approach of her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in having close and regular contact with her supporters on the streets or in campaign events.
On occasion, that has presented security concerns for her team. However, she confirmed in her new conference she had no intention of changing her policy of interacting with her supporters.
The incident also happened just days after the murder of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, a municipality in the violent state of Michoacan, at the local Day of the Dead celebrations.
Manzo had called on Sheinbaum for greater federal support in Uruapan in the fight against drug cartels. Around 35 candidates were killed in the lead up to the general election last year in what was considered the bloodiest campaign in modern Mexico.
Since taking office, Sheinbaum has made in-roads in improving the country's dire security situation, particularly clamping down on fentanyl-trafficking – a key issue for her US counterpart, President Trump.
Policymakers at the Bank of England are widely expected to hold interest rates at 4% following their final meeting before the chancellor's Budget.
Some Bank watchers have suggested that the latest inflation data could strengthen the case for a cut, but most commentators think such a move is more likely in December.
In September, the Bank's governor Andrew Bailey said he still expected further rate cuts, but the pace would be "more uncertain".
The Bank's base rate has an impact on the cost of borrowing for individuals and businesses, and also on returns on savings.
Uncertainty over pace of cuts
The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will make its latest announcement at 12:00 GMT with most analysts predicting a hold.
The Bank of England has reduced its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points every three months since August last year. However, that cycle is widely expected to be broken this time.
Members of the MPC will be closely considering the latest economic data on rising prices, as well as jobs and wages as they cast their vote on interest rates.
The rate of inflation in September was 3.8%, well above the Bank's 2% target, but lower than expected. Within that data, food and drink prices rose at their slowest rate in more than a year.
That has eased some of the squeeze on family finances, and also led to some analysts, including at banking giants Barclays and Goldman Sachs, to predict a cut in interest rates this month to 3.75%.
They expect a split in the vote among the nine-member committee. For the first time, the views of each individual on the MPC will be published alongside the wider decision.
Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, said the market was giving a one in three chance of a rate cut to 3.75%.
"The odds are still firmly in favour of a hold," she said.
All eyes on Budget
Members of the MPC will be fully aware of the potential implications of the Budget which will be delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on 26 November.
The case for a cut in interest rates in December could be boosted if the Budget includes substantial tax rises that do not add to inflation.
The chancellor, in a speech on Tuesday, said measures in the Budget "will be focused on getting inflation falling and creating the conditions for interest rate cuts".
However, detail remains thin until the Budget is delivered and more economic data will be published before the Bank's next meeting in December that could sway MPC members' thinking.
"It's possible Rachel Reeves' surprise press conference on Tuesday was partly a cry for help to the Bank of England," AJ Bell's Ms Hewson said.
"By promising to push down on inflation, she might have been signalling that the Bank didn't have to wait until after the Budget to cut rates. Whether they do or not is a finely balanced call."
The Bank's interest rates heavily influence borrowing costs for homeowners - either directly for those on tracker rates, or more indirectly for fixed rates.
In recent days and weeks, many lenders have been cutting the interest rates on their new, fixed deals as they compete for custom, and in anticipation of future central bank rate cuts.
Savers, however, would likely see a fall in the returns they receive if the Bank cuts the benchmark rate on Thursday or in December.
Rachel Springall, from financial information service Moneyfacts, said many savers were feeling "demoralised" as a result of falling returns and still relatively high inflation, which reduces the spending power of their savings.
Jensen Huang, the head of the world's most valuable company Nvidia, says King Charles III personally handed him a copy of a speech he delivered in 2023 that included awarning about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
"He said, there's something I want to talk to you about. And he handed me a letter," Huang told the BBC, speaking after receiving the 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering in a ceremony at St James's Palace.
In it the monarch said that the risks of AI needed to be tackled with "a sense of urgency, unity and collective strength".
"It was his speech on AI safety. He obviously cares very deeply about AI safety," Mr Huang said.
Mr Huang said the King wrote in his speech that he believed in the "incredible capability" of the technology to transform the UK and the world.
"But he also wants to remind us that the technology could be used for good and for evil, and so to make sure we do everything we can to advance AI safety."
In the King's address he describesthe development of advanced AI as "no less important than the discovery of electricity".
On Wednesday, Jensen Huang received the the 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering alongside six other foundational figures in AI, including Professors Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, who have warned that the technology poses an existential threat to humanity.
But US president Donald Trump has urged the AI sector to make rapid rather than cautious advances in the technology, and the AI Safety Summit was rebranded the AI Action Summit earlier this year.
Jensen Huang received the award along six other laureates - in the back row (L-R) Yoshua Bengio; the King; Yan LeCunn; Geoffrey Hinton and front row, (L-R): Jensen Huang; Fei-Fei Li; Bill Dally; and John Hopfield
Senator Howard Lutnick has discouraged the use of the word safety on the grounds that, "It makes us sound like we're afraid".
Mr Huang's company, Nvidia, was valued at $5tn this week. It specialises in advanced computer chips including those which power AI.
Mr Huang added that in his view the UK is in a good position to take advantage of what he described as "an industrial revolution that's happening right now."
"It's your opportunity to grasp," he said.
Large US tech firms including Nvidia are investing billions of dollars in building AI infrastructure in the UK, in the form of enormous data centres, which Jensen Huang has called "AI factories".
A man at the centre of an organised crime network has been secretly filmed telling BBC undercover reporters how he can help to erase fines of up to £60,000 for employing illegal workers.
The self-described "accountant" is among a group of Kurdish men, first exposed in a BBC investigation on Tuesday, who enable migrants to work illegally in mini-marts, by registering the businesses in their own name.
The man, who goes by the name of Shaxawan, told the two journalists that he and his associates could help migrants - including asylum seekers - to set up businesses illegally and "confuse" immigration enforcement.
Operating from a solicitor's office in Huddersfield, he said he had "customers in every city".
In Companies House listings, Shaxawan is named as Kardos Mateen, a British resident in his 30s, and has been the director of 18 businesses across the north of England.
When later confronted by us, with details of his claims, he denied any wrongdoing.
Trading Standards confirmed it has found illegal cigarettes being sold in many businesses registered under the name Kardos Mateen, and the BBC was sold counterfeit tobacco in four mini-marts where he was listed as the director.
The BBC News two-part investigation has revealed the sophistication and scale of criminal networks profiting from undocumented working on UK High Streets. Loose regulation of Britian's labour market is acting as a pull factor for those entering the UK illegally, the government has acknowledged.
Shaxawan made several claims to our reporters:
He could set up a company and provide bank cards and a card machine to accept payments from customers for one of our undercover reporters, believing him to be an asylum seeker
His network could "confuse" Immigration Enforcement teams which "won't have the time" to check details
Fake directors would be paid to register mini-marts in their own names, while illegal workers, including asylum seekers, would actually run the businesses
In separate deals, other people referred to as "ghost names" would be paid to put their names to large fines for illegal working
An "English woman" in the network would help reduce hefty fines to "zero" and deal with other issues like electricity, gas and bailiffs
Our reporters also spoke to a paralegal, with Shaxawan present, who offered to "make documents", including "business agreements", to avoid fines.
'I'll make sure you have no issues'
It took months to set up the first meeting with Shaxawan.
He pulled up at a busy Manchester retail park in a white 4x4 BMW, in the belief he was meeting an asylum seeker who was looking to run a mini-mart and sell illegal cigarettes.
In fact, he was meeting Saman (not his real name), a Kurdish journalist working undercover for the BBC.
In a cafe, Shaxawan freely shared details of what he and his associates were able to offer: "We are a group. Each of us provides a service and works together," he said.
He explained how he worked with an "English woman who dealt with electricity, gas and bailiffs". And when Immigration Enforcement issues a fine, he added, "she makes it zero".
"I will… set up your company, provide the [card] machine, get you electricity, speak to your landlord," Shaxawan assured him. "I'll make sure you have no issues."
Shaxawan told our reporter he could help him set-up a mini-mart illegally
He told Saman that he should register a mini-mart business in the name of someone else - what is sometimes known as a "ghost director". This would cost £400 per month, and getting access to a business bank card would require a one-off payment of £140, he said.
The ghost director would be the one to "take the risk" if the shop was raided by law enforcement and fines issued, he explained.
"That's why you're paying," he said.
To show he was genuine and to provide reassurance, Shaxawan called someone he said could act as ghost director.
Saman explained to the man on the phone that he did not have asylum status.
"Don't worry" came the reply. "As Mr Shaxawan says, send the money at the end of the month."
ID documents sent to Saman by phone swiftly after his meeting with Shaxawan, revealed that the potential ghost director was a 28-year-old from Iran called Bryar Mohammed Zada.
Mr Zada has racked up company directorships for 20 car washes and mini-marts from Newcastle upon Tyne to Essex in the past 12 months, according to Companies House records.
Undercover journalists found illegal cigarettes being sold at four of Mr Zada's businesses.
Saman later called Shaxawan asking for a second meeting, and Shaxawan suggested they meet at RKS Solicitors in Huddersfield.
The firm is registered with the Law Society and has branches in Dewsbury and Sheffield.
The meeting was arranged on the premise Saman needed help to deal with an illegal working fine which had been given to a family member.
There is no mention of the names "Shaxawan" or "Mateen" on the firm's website.
But Saman had called Shaxawan when he was outside the solicitors, and Shaxawan opened the front door, and welcomed him in.
He led our reporter upstairs to an office, where he outlined how Saman's family member could avoid the fine, transferring company details to someone else for a fee.
RKS Solicitors told the BBC it had no connection to any alleged immigration or fine-related misconduct.
Fines turned to 'zero'
We later got our second undercover reporter, "Ali", who is also Kurdish, to investigate further by calling the same RKS Solicitors branch - but without mentioning Shaxawan.
Posing as a Kurdish mini-mart owner, he told the woman who answered the phone that he had received a £60,000 fine from Immigration Enforcement for employing two people without the right to work.
He was given an appointment with Zohaib Hussain, who is listed on RKS's website as a paralegal - someone who can advise on legal matters but is not a qualified solicitor and works under supervision.
As Ali was arriving for his appointment with Mr Hussain at the RKS offices, he came across Shaxawan outside. On the street, Shaxawan repeated the claim he had made to Saman - that he could make fines go to "zero" with no comeback from authorities.
Shaxawan again referred to the "English woman" he mentioned in the earlier meeting, and said she could make sure that fines for illegal working were reassigned to other people, as if they were the culpable business owner.
Shaxawan said these would be Hungarians who "live nearby". They would be paid between £2,000-£3,000 and their names would be used to assume liability for the fines.
He did not give any more details, but an immigration lawyer we spoke to suggested this could work much like receiving a speeding fine, and giving the name of someone else on the paperwork as the person who was driving - and therefore liable to pay the penalty.
Shaxawan said the overall cost to Ali would be about £4,600 per illegal worker. He said he had done this successfully in "Manchester, Birmingham, Blackpool and Leeds", with the process usually taking about four weeks.
He added Ali's company would then need to be closed, reopened and re-registered under a new name.
Ali was then let into the RKS branch, and Shaxawan came inside too. Inside an office, Shaxawan showed him documents on his phone detailing the people he claimed to have helped before.
Shaxawan claimed the scam would confuse Immigration Enforcement officers who would not have time to check the details.
Ali was then introduced to the paralegal, Zohaib Hussain. Shaxawan stayed in the room throughout the meeting.
Watch: Undercover filming of alleged negotiation to fix a fine
Speaking quickly and in a hushed tone, Mr Hussain fired questions at our reporter about his cover story - the mini-mart and the immigration fine.
"How many illegal workers? So how much is the fine? How many times did they catch you?"
Then, with a chuckle, he asked what was sold in the mini-mart: "Do you sell vapes? Legal or illegal? Bit of both as well?"
When Ali said his mini-mart was registered under someone else's name, Mr Hussain said: "Very clever then, already very clever."
The first step, Mr Hussain said, would be to deal with the fine.
If Ali was not let off the fine, he continued, "we will look at certain other things that we have to do as precautions".
"Sometimes we might have to make documents," said Mr Hussain, such as "business agreements".
Ali then asked if the fine would be transferred to someone else's name. Mr Hussain said that would be "the last resort."
Before the meeting ended, Mr Hussain warned that the immigration authorities would want to jump on the fine straight away - making a cutting-motion across his throat.
He said his charges would be £3,500 and he "would look after us". He then asked Ali to share any future Immigration Enforcement letters with Shaxawan.
Immigration lawyer Bryony Rest says it was likely "fraud and immigration offences" were taking place
We showed our undercover filming and translations to senior immigration lawyer Bryony Rest, who told us Hussain was "clearly offering to falsify documents".
There were "likely fraud and immigration offences" taking place, she said, and she would expect law enforcement to investigate.
When we later contacted Mr Hussain for comment he replied by email saying he denied "all allegations, insinuations, and claims" we had put to him.
"For clarity, the individual named in your correspondence, Mr Shaxawan Jawad, is not associated with me in any capacity; professional, personal, or otherwise."
In a statement to the BBC, RKS Solicitors said the company was carrying out an internal review and "the individual concerned" had been suspended pending further investigation.
"We are already informing" the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), it added.
"Mr Hussain is employed as a paralegal under strict supervision… The individual is not authorised or instructed to provide immigration and tax advice."
The firm did not comment on Shaxawan Jawad. It said it did not condone unlawful conduct and was committed to the "highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and public service".
Shaxawan, otherwise known as Kardos Mateen, told us by email that he categorically denied "every allegation, insinuation and claim made" in our reporting, and said that he was "not employed by, associated with, or acting on behalf of RKS Solicitors in any capacity".
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood, said the Home Office would investigate the BBC's findings.
"Illegal working and linked organised criminality creates an incentive for people to come here illegally. We will not stand for it," she said.
Additional reporting Phill Edwards and Kirstie Brewer
Watch The moment the Commons hears that second imprisoned migrant mistakenly freed from prison
An Algerian man has been mistakenly released from prison in London, police have said.
A Met Police spokesperson said officers were carrying out "urgent enquiries" to locate the 24-year-old man, who was released in error from HMP Wandsworth last Wednesday.
It comes after migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was also released from prison by mistake last month.
The Ethiopian national, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Epping, Essex.
During Prime Minister's Questions Justice Secretary David Lammy, who was standing in for Sir Keir Starmer, was repeatedly asked whether any other asylum-seeking offender had been accidentally let out of prison since Kebatu was released but refused to answer.
Shortly after PMQs ended, the Met Police released a statement revealing another foreign prisoner had been released by mistake last Wednesday.
A Met Police spokesperson said: "Shortly after 13:00hrs on Tuesday 4 November, the Met was informed by the Prison Service that a prisoner had been released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, 29 October.
"The prisoner is a 24-year-old Algerian man.
"Officers are carrying out urgent enquiries in an effort to locate him and return him to custody."
Reacting to the news, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the BBC's Politics Live programme: "One release in error is one too many, and I understand why people will be concerned about this.
"I would expect the Metropolitan Police to be conducting a manhunt at the moment, frankly, to find this individual, because they shouldn't be at large."
She added: "I suspect that after Prime Minister's Questions, David Lammy will be going straight back to the Ministry of Justice, and asking some very tough questions indeed of his officials about what has happened."
A company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman owes £39m in tax on top of the £148m it was ordered to pay the government for breaching a contract to supply PPE.
Documents filed by PPE Medpro's administrator on Tuesday revealed the figure owed to His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Last month a court ruled the company breached a contract to supply medical gowns during the Covid pandemic because they did not meet certification requirements for sterility.
HMRC and the administrators declined to comment.
PPE Medpro was put into administration last month, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the government would pursue the company "with everything we've got" to recover the cash.
PPE Medpro has £672,774 available to unsecured creditors, far less than the money owed to the DHSC, the administrators' filings show.
They also reveal that the debt to the government is even bigger than previously known.
During the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in 2020, the government scrambled to secure supplies of PPE as the country went into lockdown and hospitals across the country were reporting shortages of clothing and accessories to protect medics from the virus.
In May that year, PPE Medpro was set up by a consortium led by Baroness Mone's husband, Doug Barrowman, and won its first government contract to supply masks through a so-called VIP lane after being recommended by Baroness Mone.
The Department of Health and Social Care sued PPE Medpro and won damages over claims the company breached its contract to supply medical gowns.
Mr Barrowman told the BBC in an interview in 2023 that he was the ultimate beneficial owner of PPE Medpro. The shares are held in the name of an accountant, Arthur Lancaster, according to Companies House documents.
In that same interview he admitted receiving more than £60m in profits from PPE Medpro.
Baroness Mone, best known for founding the lingerie company Ultimo, admitted that millions of pounds from those profits were put into a trust from which she and her children stood to benefit.
An Isle of Man company linked to Mr Barrowman, Angelo (PTC), has a secured debt of £1m to the PPE Medpro, which means it is likely to rank ahead of government creditors when it comes to paying out whatever cash can be recovered from the company.
The administrators' report says it expects there will be enough money to repay this in full.
Filings in the Isle of Man show the beneficial owner of Angelo (PTC) is Knox House Trust, part of Barrowman's Knox group of companies.
Arthur Lancaster and a spokesperson for Doug Barrowman did not respond to requests for comment.
People around the world have been able to catch a glimpse of the Beaver supermoon as it rose on Wednesday.
The largest, brightest Moon of the year has been shining in all its glory in the areas lucky enough to have a clear sky.
Wednesday's supermoon is bigger and brighter than earlier supermoons this year due to the fact that it is the closest full Moon to Earth.
This happens because the Moon does not orbit the Earth in a perfect circle - its axis of orbit more closely resembles an oval.
The name Beaver Moon follows a longstanding tradition of nicknaming supermoons.
While there is some disagreement as to the origins of the name, some sources attribute it to First Nations tribes in North America historically setting beaver traps in November.
The last supermoon of the year will follow this month's Beaver Moon, taking place on 4 December.
Photographers across the globe have been sharing their photos while out and about capturing the supermoon.
Tatan Syuflana / AP
People could get a good look at the supermoon in Jakarta, Indonesia thanks to the planetarium providing telescopes
Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Freight ships provided an atmospheric view of the supermoon over the Huai'an City skyline in Jiangsu Province, China
Hollie Adams / Reuters
A spectacular view of the Beaver supermoon amazed crowds of onlookers in North Bondi in Sydney, Australia
Neil Hall / EPA
Photographer Neil Hall captured a clean, clear image of the Moon as it shone over London, despite some cloudy weather
Julian Stratenschulte / DPA via AP
Julian Stratenschulte positioned the Moon alongside the Torchbearer statue while photographing in Hannover, Germany
Dawoud Abu Alkas / Reuters
The moonrise was clearly visible as it made an appearance in Gaza City
Marina Lystseva / Reuters
The Beaver Moon could be seen poking through cloud cover behind the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia
Alberto Pizzoli / AFP via Getty Images
Birds could be seen flying over the city of Rome, Italy as the Moon shone a bright orange
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Reuters
A musician plays the saxophone as the Moon rises over the Qatar Boat Show 2025 in Doha, Qatar
Omar Haj Kadour / AFP via Getty Images
A turning wheel provided a dazzling foreground to a photo of the Moon over the northern Syrian city of Idlib
Mustafa Yalcin / Anadolu via Getty Images
The moonrise was partially obscured by a dull haze hanging over the city of Paris, though still visible through the clouds
Harish Tyagi / EPA
Vivid street lights provided a playful scene for the Moon's rise in Delhi, India
Suhaimi Abdullah / NurPhoto via Getty Images
An abstract view of a street lamp is contrasted against the Moon's glare in Singapore
Kostas Pikoulas / NurPhoto via Getty Images
The moonrise could be seen through foliage in Limassol, Cyprus
Michael Bradley / AFP via Getty Images
Those attending the Twenty20 cricket match at Eden Park were treated to a clear view of the Moon in Auckland, New Zealand
Top image shows a man tending to his horse against the moonrise as the beaver supermoon appears in Sarikamis, Turkey
Two prisoners were mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth in the past week
Manhunts are under way after two men were mistakenly released from Wandsworth prison in London in the past week.
The first, released last Wednesday, is Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian man and a sex offender.
The second is William Smith, who had been jailed for fraud on Monday, the same day he was subsequently released in error.
It comes after the accidental release of Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender, last month due to what was described as "human error" at HMP Chelmsford.
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was "released in error" seven days ago on Wednesday 29 October, the Metropolitan Police says.
The force said it was not told about the mistake by HMP Wandsworth until Tuesday 4 November.
"Officers are carrying out urgent enquiries in an effort to locate him and return him to custody," a police spokesperson said.
On Monday, Surrey Police appealed for help to find 35-year-old William Smith, who was also mistakenly released from Wandsworth. He was released on the same day he had been sentenced to 45 months in prison for multiple fraud offences.
Who is Brahim Kaddour-Cherif?
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is a 24-year-old Algerian man and is not an asylum seeker.
The Met confirmed he is a registered sex offender and was convicted of indecent exposure in November 2024, relating to an incident in March that year.
He was sentenced to an 18-month community order and placed on the sex offenders' register for five years.
He is believed to have links to Tower Hamlets and was also known to frequent the Westminster area, the police said.
Kaddour-Cherif is understood to have entered the UK legally on a visitor's visa but has now overstayed that and is in the initial stages of the deportation process.
Metropolitan Police
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif seen in arrest footage from a police bodycam
Who is William Smith?
William Smith, who goes by Billy, was released on Monday, Surrey Police said.
He was sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences at Croydon Crown Court on Monday. He appeared via a live video link from HMP Wandsworth.
Smith is described by police as white, bald, and clean shaven.
He was last seen wearing a navy long sleeve jumper with the Nike brand 'tick' across the front in white, navy blue tracksuit bottoms with a Nike 'tick' in white on the left pocket, and black trainers.
Smith has links to Woking but could be anywhere in Surrey, the force said.
Surrey Police
A custody image of William Smith. He is described by police now as being clean shaven
How were they mistakenly released?
We know very little at this stage about why or how Kaddour-Cherif was mistakenly released.
We also do not know why the police were not told about the error in releasing him for almost a week.
Multiple prison sources say the process of release is complex and bureaucratic, and sometimes errors are made, including in calculations over time served.
As for Smith, the BBC understands he was released as a result of a clerical error at the court level.
He was given a custodial sentence but it was entered in the computer system as a suspended sentence.
This was spotted and corrected by the court but the correction was sent to the wrong person.
How did the news come out?
During Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who was standing in for Sir Keir Starmer, was repeatedly asked by shadow justice secretary James Cartlidge whether any further asylum-seeking offenders had accidentally released from prison since Epping sex offender Hadush Kebatu last month.
Lammy repeatedly refused to directly answer the question but towards the end of the session it emerged that a prisoner had been mistakenly released. This referred to Kaddour-Cherif.
BBC political editor Chris Mason said he was told Lammy was aware of the incident going into PMQs, but not whether the man was an asylum seeker.
What happened when?
29 October: Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth
3 November: William Smith is sentenced to 45 months in prison. Later the same day he is mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth
13:00 on 4 November: Six days later, the Prison Service informs the Metropolitan Police that the prisoner had been released in error on 29 October
Overnight into 5 November: Justice Secretary David Lammy is informed about the accidental release
Around 11:45 on 5 November: The Conservatives reportedly find out that a wrongly released prisoner is at large
12:00 on 5 November: Lammy repeatedly refuses to answer when asked by shadow justice secretary James Cartlidge whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since the high-profile case of an Epping sex offender last month
12:43 on 5 November: Cartlidge tells the House of Commons that a second imprisoned asylum seeker had been mistakenly freed - Lammy declined to respond
13:41 on 5 November: Lammy releases a statement saying he is "outraged and appalled by the foreign criminal wanted by the police" and promises that an "urgent manhunt" is under way
16:43 on 5 November: Metropolitan Police puts out an appeal for Kaddour-Cherif and says "urgent" inquiries are ongoing
What has been said about it?
While he did not comment directly on the case during PMQs afterwards Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was "absolutely outraged" and that his officials have been "working through the night to take [Kaddour-Cherif] back to prison".
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said it was "shocking that once again the Labour government has mistakenly allowed a foreign criminal to be released from prison".
He added that Lammy's PMQs appearance was "nothing short of disgraceful" and accused him of being "dishonest" with the public and parliament.
Philp later made a point of order calling for Lammy to come back to answer questions on the matter.
Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said the latest error was "unacceptable" and would be investigated.
The Liberal Democrats' justice spokesperson Jess Brown-Fuller is calling for Lammy to return to the House of Commons to explain "why he failed to answer" questions on whether another prisoner had been mistakenly released during PMQs.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called the incident a "farce".
Rosena Allin-Khan, the Labour MP for Tooting - where the prison is located - said: "Local residents will quite rightly be deeply concerned. We urgently need answers from the government and Ministry of Justice as to how this was allowed to happen."
The MP for Woking has told BBC Radio Surrey it's "completely unacceptable" that another prisoner - with links to the area - has been accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth.
Lib Dem Will Forster, MP for Woking, said it was "completely unacceptable" that William Smith had been released accidentally.
"It's utterly unacceptable that my constituents in Woking are going to be worried about their safety due to the government wrongly releasing three prisoners in a matter of a week," he said.
What do we know about HMP Wandsworth?
Wandsworth Prison is a Victorian-era facility in south London.
Built in 1851, the complex was originally constructed to house fewer than 1,000 prisoners.
An August 2024 report by the prison's independent monitoring board found inmate numbers in the "cramped, squalid" prison, had grown to 1,513.
"Wings were chaotic and staff across most units were unable to confirm where all prisoners were during the working day," the report said.
The board added it was unable to conduct prisoner roll checks because staff could not provide accurate numbers and that a third of officers were not available for operational duty on any given day due to sickness, restricted duties or training.
In April, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons noted the population had been reduced by 150, and other "limited and fragile" improvements had been made.
Donald Trump's sweeping use of tariffs in the first nine months of his second term was sharply questioned during oral arguments before the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Chief Justice John Roberts, and justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch – three conservative jurists considered swing votes in this case - peppered US Solicitor General John Sauer, representing the president's administration, during his more than 45 minutes before the court.
They were joined by the court's three liberal justices, who also expressed scepticism about whether federal law – and the US Constitution – give the president authority to unilaterally set tariff levels on foreign imports.
"The justification is being used for power to impose tariffs on any product from any country in any amount, for any length of time," Roberts said.
If the court ruled for Trump in this case, Gorsuch wondered: "What would prohibit Congress from just abdicating all responsibility to regulate foreign commerce?"
He added that he was "struggling" to find a reason to buy Sauer's arguments.
The case centres around a 1977 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), that Trump's lawyers have said gives the president the power to impose tariffs. Although the Constitution specifically vests Congress with tariff authority, Trump has claimed that the legislature delegated "emergency" authority to him to bypass longer, established processes.
Sauer asserted that the nation faced unique crises – ones that were "country-killing and not sustainable" - that necessitated emergency action by the president. He warned that if Trump's tariff powers were ruled illegal, it would expose the US to "ruthless trade retaliation" and lead to "ruinous economic and national security consequences.
Watch: How a Supreme Court case could upend Trump’s tariffs
Trump first invoked IEEPA in February to tax goods from China, Mexico and Canada, saying drug trafficking from those countries constituted an emergency.
He deployed it again in April, ordering levies from 10% to 50% on goods from almost every country in the world. This time, he said the US trade deficit - where the US imports more than it exports - posed an "extraordinary and unusual threat".
Those tariffs took hold in fits and starts this summer while the US pushed countries to strike "deals".
Lawyers for the challenging states and private groups have contended that while the IEEPA gave the president power to regulate trade, it made no mention of the word "tariffs"
Neil Katyal, making the case for the private businesses, said it was "implausible" that Congress "handed the president the power to overhaul the entire tariff system and the American economy in the process, allowing him to set and reset tariffs on any and every product from any and every country, at any and all times."
He also challenged whether the issues cited by the White House, especially the trade deficit, represent the kind of emergencies the law envisioned.
Suppose America faced the threat of war from a "very powerful enemy", Samuel Alito - another conservative justice – asked. "Could a president under this provision impose a tariff to stave off war?"
Katyal said that a president could impose an embargo or a quota, but a revenue-raising tariff was a step too far.
For Sauer, this was a false choice. Presidents, he said, have broad powers over national security and foreign policy – powers that the challengers want to infringe on.
A key question could be whether the court determines whether Trump's tariffs are a tax.
Several justices pointed out that the power to tax – to raise revenue – is explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution.
Sauer's reply was that Trump's tariffs are a means of regulating trade and that any revenue generated is "only incidental".
Of course, Trump himself has boasted about the billions his tariffs have generated so far and how essential this new stream of funding is to the federal government.
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, who attended the hearing, made no comment when asked by the BBC what he thought of the hearing. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, also in court, flashed a thumbs-up.
US Trade Envoy Jamieson Greer was in court, along with Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who said outside after arguments, that she was "hopeful" based on the questions asked that the court would overturn the tariffs.
"I thought they were very good questions," she said, describing tariffs as an "unconstitutional power grab" by the president.
If a majority of the Supreme Court rules in Trump's favour, it will overturn the findings of three lower courts that already ruled against the administration.
The decision, no matter how it works out, has implications for an estimated $90bn worth of import taxes already paid - roughly half the tariff revenue the US collected this year through September, according to Wells Fargo analysts.
Trump officials have warned that sum could swell to $1tn if the court takes until June to rule.
During oral arguments, Barrett grappled with the question of reimbursing such revenue, wondering if it would be a "complete mess".
Katyal responded by saying that small businesses might get refunds, but bigger companies would have to follow "administrative procedures". He admitted that it was a "very complicated thing".
In remarks on Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavett hinted that the administration already is looking at other ways to impose tariffs if the Supreme Court rules against them.
"The White House is always preparing for Plan B," she said. "It would be imprudent of the president's advisors not to prepare for such a situation."
Two prisoners were mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth in the past week
Manhunts are under way after two men were mistakenly released from Wandsworth prison in London in the past week.
The first, released last Wednesday, is Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian man and a sex offender.
The second is William Smith, who had been jailed for fraud on Monday, the same day he was subsequently released in error.
It comes after the accidental release of Hadush Kebatu, a migrant sex offender, last month due to what was described as "human error" at HMP Chelmsford.
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was "released in error" seven days ago on Wednesday 29 October, the Metropolitan Police says.
The force said it was not told about the mistake by HMP Wandsworth until Tuesday 4 November.
"Officers are carrying out urgent enquiries in an effort to locate him and return him to custody," a police spokesperson said.
On Monday, Surrey Police appealed for help to find 35-year-old William Smith, who was also mistakenly released from Wandsworth. He was released on the same day he had been sentenced to 45 months in prison for multiple fraud offences.
Who is Brahim Kaddour-Cherif?
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is a 24-year-old Algerian man and is not an asylum seeker.
The Met confirmed he is a registered sex offender and was convicted of indecent exposure in November 2024, relating to an incident in March that year.
He was sentenced to an 18-month community order and placed on the sex offenders' register for five years.
He is believed to have links to Tower Hamlets and was also known to frequent the Westminster area, the police said.
Kaddour-Cherif is understood to have entered the UK legally on a visitor's visa but has now overstayed that and is in the initial stages of the deportation process.
Metropolitan Police
Brahim Kaddour-Cherif seen in arrest footage from a police bodycam
Who is William Smith?
William Smith, who goes by Billy, was released on Monday, Surrey Police said.
He was sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences at Croydon Crown Court on Monday. He appeared via a live video link from HMP Wandsworth.
Smith is described by police as white, bald, and clean shaven.
He was last seen wearing a navy long sleeve jumper with the Nike brand 'tick' across the front in white, navy blue tracksuit bottoms with a Nike 'tick' in white on the left pocket, and black trainers.
Smith has links to Woking but could be anywhere in Surrey, the force said.
Surrey Police
A custody image of William Smith. He is described by police now as being clean shaven
How were they mistakenly released?
We know very little at this stage about why or how Kaddour-Cherif was mistakenly released.
We also do not know why the police were not told about the error in releasing him for almost a week.
Multiple prison sources say the process of release is complex and bureaucratic, and sometimes errors are made, including in calculations over time served.
As for Smith, the BBC understands he was released as a result of a clerical error at the court level.
He was given a custodial sentence but it was entered in the computer system as a suspended sentence.
This was spotted and corrected by the court but the correction was sent to the wrong person.
How did the news come out?
During Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who was standing in for Sir Keir Starmer, was repeatedly asked by shadow justice secretary James Cartlidge whether any further asylum-seeking offenders had accidentally released from prison since Epping sex offender Hadush Kebatu last month.
Lammy repeatedly refused to directly answer the question but towards the end of the session it emerged that a prisoner had been mistakenly released. This referred to Kaddour-Cherif.
BBC political editor Chris Mason said he was told Lammy was aware of the incident going into PMQs, but not whether the man was an asylum seeker.
What happened when?
29 October: Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth
3 November: William Smith is sentenced to 45 months in prison. Later the same day he is mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth
13:00 on 4 November: Six days later, the Prison Service informs the Metropolitan Police that the prisoner had been released in error on 29 October
Overnight into 5 November: Justice Secretary David Lammy is informed about the accidental release
Around 11:45 on 5 November: The Conservatives reportedly find out that a wrongly released prisoner is at large
12:00 on 5 November: Lammy repeatedly refuses to answer when asked by shadow justice secretary James Cartlidge whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since the high-profile case of an Epping sex offender last month
12:43 on 5 November: Cartlidge tells the House of Commons that a second imprisoned asylum seeker had been mistakenly freed - Lammy declined to respond
13:41 on 5 November: Lammy releases a statement saying he is "outraged and appalled by the foreign criminal wanted by the police" and promises that an "urgent manhunt" is under way
16:43 on 5 November: Metropolitan Police puts out an appeal for Kaddour-Cherif and says "urgent" inquiries are ongoing
What has been said about it?
While he did not comment directly on the case during PMQs afterwards Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was "absolutely outraged" and that his officials have been "working through the night to take [Kaddour-Cherif] back to prison".
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said it was "shocking that once again the Labour government has mistakenly allowed a foreign criminal to be released from prison".
He added that Lammy's PMQs appearance was "nothing short of disgraceful" and accused him of being "dishonest" with the public and parliament.
Philp later made a point of order calling for Lammy to come back to answer questions on the matter.
Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said the latest error was "unacceptable" and would be investigated.
The Liberal Democrats' justice spokesperson Jess Brown-Fuller is calling for Lammy to return to the House of Commons to explain "why he failed to answer" questions on whether another prisoner had been mistakenly released during PMQs.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called the incident a "farce".
Rosena Allin-Khan, the Labour MP for Tooting - where the prison is located - said: "Local residents will quite rightly be deeply concerned. We urgently need answers from the government and Ministry of Justice as to how this was allowed to happen."
The MP for Woking has told BBC Radio Surrey it's "completely unacceptable" that another prisoner - with links to the area - has been accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth.
Lib Dem Will Forster, MP for Woking, said it was "completely unacceptable" that William Smith had been released accidentally.
"It's utterly unacceptable that my constituents in Woking are going to be worried about their safety due to the government wrongly releasing three prisoners in a matter of a week," he said.
What do we know about HMP Wandsworth?
Wandsworth Prison is a Victorian-era facility in south London.
Built in 1851, the complex was originally constructed to house fewer than 1,000 prisoners.
An August 2024 report by the prison's independent monitoring board found inmate numbers in the "cramped, squalid" prison, had grown to 1,513.
"Wings were chaotic and staff across most units were unable to confirm where all prisoners were during the working day," the report said.
The board added it was unable to conduct prisoner roll checks because staff could not provide accurate numbers and that a third of officers were not available for operational duty on any given day due to sickness, restricted duties or training.
In April, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons noted the population had been reduced by 150, and other "limited and fragile" improvements had been made.
The government wants to change the way land is managed in Scotland
The Scottish Parliament has passed land reforms which could force the break-up of some large estates.
The bill is designed to help reduce the concentration of rural land ownership among a small number of people, and to give communities a greater say in what happens on privately owned land.
It also seeks to increase opportunities for community buyouts of land and could allow for large estates to be split into smaller plots when they are put up for sale.
After three days of debates, with almost 400 amendments lodged, the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed with 85 supporting, 28 in opposition and nine abstaining.
The government said its reforms would help address that imbalance.
Land reform campaigners welcomed some aspects of the bill, but said it did not go far enough.
Opponents warned the wide-ranging legislation would not work in practice and argued against government intervention in land transactions.
What is in the land reform bill?
The parliament backed the creation of a "transfer test", which would ensure that the sale or transfer of a large landholding (bigger than 1,000 hectares) cannot be completed without owners first applying to ministers for a decision on whether to sub-divide the land into "lots".
The bill also says that if someone wants to sell a large landholding, they must notify the government. Ministers would in turn notify community groups, offering them the chance to buy the land.
The legislation will compel owners of large landholdings to tell the surrounding community more about what happens on their land by publishing a land management plan. A failure to comply with this requirement could result in a fine of up to £40,000.
The legislation will also pave the way for the creation of a Land and Communities Commissioner to oversee, investigate and report on some of the bill's key aims.
Getty Images
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon steered the bill through parliament
Patrick Colquhoun, assistant chief executive of Luss Estates, which owns almost 50,000 acres of land around Loch Lomond, said the legislation could lead to an "infringement" on property rights.
Mr Colquhoun, who is also vice-chairman of Scottish Land and Estates, told the BBC's Scotcast podcast that he feared the definition of a large landholding could be reduced in future.
"Already the government are being pressed to reduce that down to 500 (hectares), then it's 200, then it's 10, then it's five and suddenly your plot at home, your garden ground could be under threat," he said.
Some lawyers have also raised concerns. Don Macleod, head of land and property at law firm Turcan Connell, described the bill as "junk", arguing that ambiguity over the definition of a large landholding could make the law "unworkable and impossible".
Community Land Scotland, which represents community landowners, said the bill was a "step forward" for land reform.
However, it warned that the measures did not "go far enough to meaningfully intervene in the land market and change landownership patterns".
'Lack of ambition'
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon told MSPs the reforms would improve how land is owned and managed for the benefit "of the many, not the few".
She told MSPs would allow communities to "breathe new life into rural communities".
Addressing concerns that the bill was not sufficiently radical, she said the reforms were "balanced and proportionate".
Scottish Conservative rural affairs spokesperson Tim Eagle described the bill as "unworkable and devastating", arguing it would "damage rural businesses and reduce the land available for rent".
Other parties argued the reforms did not go far enough.
Scottish Labour rural affairs spokeswoman Rhoda Grant said: "We support any improvements to Scotland's land management, but this weak bill is largely tinkering around the edges.
"The only significant change is to introduce untested lotting provisions and to take steps to stop off-market sales."
Green rural affairs spokesperson Ariane Burgess said ministers had shown a "lack of ambition to deliver the real land reform that is so vital".