At least 32 people have been confirmed dead after a major earthquake struck China's mountainous Tibet region on Tuesday morning, Chinese state media reported.

The earthquake that hit Tibet's holy Shigatse city around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), according to data from the US Geological Survey, which also showed a series of aftershocks in the area.

Tremors were also felt in neighbouring Nepal and parts of India.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line.

Shigatse is considered one of the holiest cities of Tibet. It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

Chinese state media reported the earthquake as having a slightly lesser magnitude of 6.8, causing "obvious" tremors and leading to the collapse of many houses.

Social media posts show collapsing buildings and there have been several strong aftershocks.

"After a major earthquake, there is always a gradual attenuation process," Jiang Haikun, a researcher at the China Earthquake Networks Center, told CCTV.

While another earthquake of around magnitude 5 may still occur, Jiang said, "the likelihood of a larger earthquake is low".

The Chinese air force has launched rescue efforts and drones to the affected area, which sits at the foot of Mount Everest and where temperatures are well below freezing.

Both power and water in the region have been cut off.

While tremors were felt in Nepal, no damage or casualties were reported, a local official in Nepal's Namche region, near Everest, told AFP.

Tibet's earthquake bureau told the BBC on Tuesday that they were unable to provide estimates on casualties as they were still verifying the numbers.

The region, which lies on a major fault line where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collided, is home to frequent seismic activity. In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, killed nearly 9,000 people and injured over 20,000.

North Korea has fired what appears to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile towards the sea to its east, South Korea's military said, in what is Pyongyang's first missile launch in two months.

The missile flew 1,100km before falling into the sea, the military said, adding that it "strongly condemns" this "clear act of provocation".

The launch comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Seoul for talks with some of South Korea's key leaders.

Earlier on Monday, Blinken met with acting president Choi Sang-mok, where he described the alliance between Washington and Seoul as a "cornerstone of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula".

South Korea's military says it has strengthened surveillance for the North's future missile launches and is "closely sharing information" on today's launch with the US and Japan.

Today's launch also comes amid political chaos in South Korea, which has embroiled the country for weeks after suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law attempt in December.

Yoon, who was stripped of his presidential powers after lawmakers voted to impeach him, now faces arrest. The constitutional court is also deliberating whether he should be removed from office.

Pyongyang previously mocked Yoon's shock martial law declaration as an "insane act" and accused Yoon of "brazenly brandishing blades and guns of fascist dictatorship at his own people".

The international community considers North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un a dictator. Kim's family has ruled the hermit nation for decades by developing and promoting a cult of personality.

The last time Pyongyang fired missiles was in November, a day before the US presidential election, when it launched at least seven short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.

Earlier that week, the US had flown a long-range bomber during trilateral military drills with South Korea and Japan in a show of power, drawing condemnation from Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said those who cover up or fail to report child sexual abuse could face professional or criminal sanctions under a new offence to be introduced this year.

The proposal was one of 20 recommendations made by Professor Alexis Jay following her seven year inquiry into child sexual abuse, which concluded in 2022.

Cooper said the change would be added to the Crime and Policing Bill this spring.

The Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp welcomed the move but urged the home secretary to announce a national statutory public inquiry into sexual abuse of children by grooming gangs.

He argued that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), led by Prof Jay, had been "mainly directed" at other child sexual abuse issues and only covered six of the towns involved in the "gang rape scandal".

"We need to get to the truth," he told MPs, and said an inquiry, with powers to compel witnesses to attend and give evidence under oath, was needed.

He added that if the government would not agree to an inquiry, the Conservatives would try to amend the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill to force the government to hold one.

Cooper did not commit to holding a new inquiry and instead stressed the importance of implementing the recommendations of inquiries that had already been completed.

Introducing mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse was one of the key recommendations from the IICSA report.

It said there should be a legal requirement for those who work in "regulated activity or work in a position of trust" to report abuse in certain circumstances including if they "observed recognised indicators" of child sexual abuse.

The report also said it should be a criminal offence not to report abuse if they are told about it by the child or perpetrator, or if they have witnessed a child being sexually abused.

The previous Conservative government had committed to introducing mandatory reporting, but did not specify sanctions for failing to do so.

Addressing the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, Cooper said she would introduce mandatory reporting and a new offence targeting those who fail to report abuse or cover it up.

The home secretary also promised to make grooming an aggravated factor in the sentencing of abuse cases and "overhaul" how information and evidence on child sexual abuse is gathered.

Earlier in the day, Prof Jay who now chairs the Act on IICSA campaign group urged ministers to adopt a "clear timeline" to accept all the report's recommendations.

Cooper said Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips had met with Prof Jay last year and had convened a cross-government group to "drive forward change". She said she would set out timescales following work with a new victims and survivors panel.

Maggie Oliver, a former Greater Manchester police detective who resigned in 2012 over poor handling of abuse cases in Rochdale, told BBC Radio 4's World Tonight that the home secretary's statement on child abuse was "a bit of a kneejerk reaction to international horror at what has happened in our country".

The subject of grooming gangs has come under the spotlight, in part due to interventions on social media from Elon Musk.

The tech-entrepreneur and adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump called safeguarding minister Jess Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" and accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of being "complicit in the rape of Britain".

Speaking at a press conference, Sir Keir defended his record as director of public prosecutions saying that when he left office "we had the highest number of child sexual abuse cases being prosecuted on record".

He said he enjoyed robust debate but said it had to be "based on facts and truth, not on lies".

"What I won't tolerate is politicians jumping on the bandwagon simply to get attention, when those politicians sat in government for 14 long years, tweeting, talking, but not doing anything about it. Now, so desperate for attention that they're amplifying what the far-right is saying."

McDonald's workers have said they are still facing sexual abuse and harassment, a year after the boss promised to clean up behaviour at the fast-food chain.

One 19-year-old worker, Matt, told the BBC some of his colleagues were scared of going into work, and that managers would "touch up" other members of staff.

Since the BBC's original investigation into the company, the UK equality watchdog has heard 300 reported incidents of harassment. It now plans to intervene again.

A McDonald's spokesperson said the company had undertaken "extensive work" over the past year to ensure it has industry-leading practices in place to keep its workers safe.

The UK boss of McDonald's has been summoned on Tuesday to answer MPs' questions for a second time, including over claims of sexual abuse.

Warning - this article contains distressing content

Claims include:

• A worker quit her job in the West Midlands at the end of 2023, after she says managers inappropriately touched her and customers sexually harassed her. When she raised it, she says she was told to "suck it up".
• A 16-year-old current employee based in the West Midlands says he was bullied, shouted at and sworn at by managers.
• A female worker, 20, says a male manager sent her topless pictures. She left her McDonald's branch in the East of England in August.

These claims all relate to events after November 2023, when the boss of McDonald's UK, Alistair Macrow first appeared in front of parliament's Business and Trade Committee.

Mr Macrow told MPs then that the firm was taking action to improve working conditions, after the BBC uncovered widespread concerns over the treatment of staff.

However, one current and two former workers from different parts of the country, claim that the restaurant audits that were promised, were stage-managed by the branches.

More than 700 current and former junior employees are now taking legal action against the firm, accusing it of failing to protect them.

'Scared to go in'

Matt said he quit his McDonald’s branch in the Midlands last year because of what he calls a "toxic" work environment.

He said he was bullied for having a learning disability and an eye condition.

"And then it was stuff you noticed, managers and staff being racist to other staff. Managers trying to touch other staff up," he said.

He said some staff members felt scared to go into work, because they feared something "horrible" happening.

Matt said the work culture had not changed by the time he left in May.

'Just banter'

Alan, not his real name, said he has been repeatedly subjected to "degrading and humiliating" verbal abuse by his colleagues at a McDonald's branch in southwest Scotland.

"It’s just homophobic slurs a lot, sometimes to my face, sometimes behind my back," the 19-year-old said.

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When he reported the problem to a senior manager, he says he was told it was "just a bit of banter".

Alan has worked in other fast-food restaurants where he said homophobia was taken more seriously.

"It just seems like McDonald's don't care as much," he said.

'Sex for shifts'

Claire, not her real name, who worked at a branch in the Midlands until May 2023, says a shift manager asked her for sex in return for extra shifts, which she refused. She was 17, he was in his 30s.

"You don't expect that to happen," she said. "It was totally inappropriate."

Like most McDonald's workers, Claire was employed on a zero-hours contract

McDonald's outlets are run as franchises, so local managers are responsible for employing the staff for their restaurants. Across the UK, 89% of their workers are on zero-hours contracts.

McDonald's says workers can choose to switch to minimum guaranteed hours. But we have spoken to 50 workers across the country who say they were not given that choice.

Some workers told the BBC the insecure hours leads to an imbalance of power. Others, however, said zero-hours contracts worked well for them.

Claire says she felt "dependent" on her managers for work. "I was always asking for more shifts, as I needed more money," she said.

• McDonald's faces up to two sex abuse claims a week

A McDonald's spokesperson said that in 2018, it offered all employees the choice of a flexible or guaranteed hours contract, and that every staff room should still display information on how to request one.

"Additionally, after four weeks in role, every new employee has a formal conversation with management – in which managers check that employees are aware of the option of a guaranteed hours contract," the company said.

The company said it did not recognise the incident where a manager asked for sex in return for shifts. "If provided with sufficient information we would ensure a full investigation is carried out, and appropriate action taken if necessary," the company said.

'Traumatised'

Most McDonald's staff are aged between 16 and 25. For many, it is their first job.

Even senior managers are often young.

Elliott, not his real name, was in charge of a store in the South of England by his early twenties. He left last February.

"If I had a sister, or if I had a daughter, I wouldn't want them working in McDonald's," he said.

When the McDonald's boss spoke to MPs in 2023 he said the company had stopped a practice of moving managers around so they could avoid disciplinary action.

But Elliott says that days after Mr Macrow gave evidence, a manager was moved to his store to avoid being disciplined, following allegations they had sent sexually explicit messages to female colleagues who were 16-18 years old.

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Following the BBC investigation, McDonald’s brought in outside consultants, Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC), to audit their restaurants and check on the wellbeing of their staff. But Elliott says the franchise he worked for “rigged” its inspection in February.

"They were meeting the best employees, hand-plucked from different stores," he said. "The people that can be coached on the correct answers."

According to Elliot the audit gave the restaurant a 100% rating. Yet, he told us, two months before the audit, a manager working there had been accused of performing a Nazi salute to a Jewish employee. He said PwC was not told of this allegation.

"I think I am a bit traumatised by it," he said. "And I think I'll continue to have bad memories of my employment for the rest of my life."

PwC said that while it doesn't comment on individual clients, its site visits are "subject to a stringent set of processes" and are refined as required.

A McDonald's spokesperson said PwC's independent site visits "play a crucial role" in assessing each restaurant against specific criteria and ensuring standards are met.

"In the few instances where our expectations have not been met, we have taken prompt corrective action," the spokesperson said.

"The assessment procedures are under constant review by PwC and were refined early in the programme to ensure that employee interviews - which form part of the assessment - are selected randomly by independent assessors, further safeguarding the integrity of the process."

The BBC first began investigating working conditions at McDonald's in February 2023, after the company signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), in which it pledged to protect its staff from sexual harassment.

After our investigation was published in July 2023, McDonald's apologised and set up a new unit to deal with complaints.

The EHRC also set up a dedicated hotline for abuse claims.

More than 160 people approached the BBC with allegations after our initial investigation, while 300 incidents were reported to the EHRC.

Now, the watchdog says it is taking stronger action against the fast-food chain.

In a new statement provided exclusively to the BBC, the EHRC said: “We are actively working with McDonalds to update our ongoing legal agreement in light of serious allegations raised by our work with the company, and the BBC investigation."

Its action plan will involve strengthening the existing measures - which included providing more training and conducting a survey of workers - as well as announcing new steps, the BBC understands.

McDonald's said the agreement with the EHRC was signed "with the intention that it continues to evolve to ensure the robust measures we have in place are aligned with any updated guidance".

Separately, law firm Leigh Day said it had been instructed to start legal action against McDonald's by hundreds of staff and former staff, with more than 450 restaurants implicated in the claims.

• Listen: McDonald's - a toxic place for teenagers?

A McDonald's spokesperson said: "Ensuring the 168,000 people that work in McDonald's restaurants are safe is the most important responsibility for both us and our franchisees, and we have undertaken extensive work over the last year to ensure we have industry-leading practices in place to support this priority.

"Any incident of misconduct and harassment is unacceptable and subject to rapid and thorough investigation and action."

The company said: "Our relentless focus on eliminating all forms of harassment at McDonald's is led by a newly created team and informed by the experience and guidance of external experts."

It said it had rolled out company-wide programmes to improve safeguarding, drive awareness and enhance training, and in addition to the four existing channels, it had introduced an additional way for employees to speak up, confidentially, at any time, allowing employees to "instantly raise issues digitally", and which was "specifically designed to ensure they feel empowered to speak up".

It also said its new investigations unit was "dedicated to rooting out any behaviour that falls below the high standards" it demands of its workers.

"We are confident that we are taking significant and important steps to tackle the unacceptable behaviours facing every organisation," the spokesperson added.

It said its latest anonymous employee survey showed that 92% of its franchisees' people are now comfortable speaking up, and 93% believe management will act.

"However, we know that we must be constantly vigilant, and we will challenge and confront any behaviour that falls below those standards," it said.

What to do if you have been sexually harassed at work

• Report it: The charity Victim Support suggests telling your manager, HR representative or trade union
• Keep a record: Include dates, times and details of any incidents. Save any relevant emails.
• Get help: Victim Support operates a free and confidential 24/7 helpline and live chat service. Call 0808 16 89 111 or use the live chat at: victimsupport.org.uk/live-chat.
• Call the police: If sexual harassment escalates into violence, threats or sexual assault, report this to the police by calling 101. If you are in danger, call 999.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, information and support is available via the BBC Action Line.

Some of the names in this story have been changed to protect identities.

Warning: This story contains distressing details.

Just before New Year, 21-year-old Shatha al-Sabbagh was out buying chocolate for her family's children from a shop in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank.

The "fearless" journalism student – who wanted to shed light on the suffering of the Palestinians – was with her mother, two young nephews and another relative.

"She was laughing and saying we'll be up all night tonight," her mother recalls.

Then she was shot in the head.

For Shatha's mother Umm al-Motassem, the pain is still raw. She stops to take a breath.

"Shatha's eyes were wide open. It looked like she was staring at me while lying on her back with blood gushing from her head.

"I started screaming, 'Stop shooting! My daughter is dead. My daughter is dead.'"

But the shooting lasted for around 10 minutes. Shatha died in a pool of her own blood.

Shatha's family holds the Palestinian Authority's (PA) security forces fully responsible for her killing, saying their area is controlled by the PA.

"It couldn't have been anyone other than PA... because they have such a heavy presence in our neighbourhood - no-one else could come or go," she told the BBC.

But the PA blames "outlaws" - the term they use for members of the Jenin Battalion, made up of fighters from armed groups including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas.

The PA exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

It launched a major security operation in the refugee camp in Jenin last month targeting the armed groups based there, which they see as a challenge to their authority. Nearly four weeks on, it continues.

The Jenin Battalion is accused of blowing up a car in the camp and carrying out other "illegal activities".

"We have confiscated large numbers of weapons and explosive materials," says the PA's Brig Gen Anwar Rajab.

"The aim is to clear the camp from the explosive devices that have been planted in different streets and alleyways... These outlaws have crossed all red lines and have spread chaos."

Gen Rajab also accuses Iran of backing and funding the armed groups in the camp.

The Jenin Battalion denies links to Iran. In a recent video posted on social media, spokesman Nour al-Bitar said the PA was trying to "demonise" them and "tarnish their image", adding that fighters would not give up their weapons.

"To the PA and President Mahmoud Abbas, why has it come to this?" he asked, holding shrapnel from what he claimed was a rocket-propelled grenade fired at the camp by security forces.

The PA, led by President Abbas, was already unpopular among Palestinians dissatisfied by its rejection of armed struggle and its security co-ordination with Israel.

This anger intensified with the PA's crackdown on the armed groups in the camp, which has been unprecedented in its ferocity and length.

Israel sees those groups as terrorists, but many Jenin locals consider them to be a form of resistance to the occupation.

"These 'outlaws' that the PA is referring to – these are the young men who stand up for us when the Israeli army raids our camp," says Umm al-Motassem.

At least 14 people have been killed in the crackdown, including a 14-year-old, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Now many Jenin locals say they fear the PA as much as they fear Israel's military raids. Shatha al-Sabbagh's death has only renewed their contempt.

Before she was killed, Shatha shared several posts on social media showing the destruction from the PA operation in Jenin - as well as Israeli raids on the camp last year.

Other posts showed pictures of armed young men who were killed in the fighting, including her brother.

Her killing was condemned by Hamas, which identified her brother as a slain member of the group's armed wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

The group described her "murder... in cold blood" as part of an "oppressive policy targeting the Jenin camp, which has become a symbol of steadfastness and resistance".

Mustafa Barghouti, who leads the political party Palestinian National Initiative, sees the fighting in Jenin as a consequence of the divisions between the main Palestinian factions - Fatah, which makes up most of the PA, and Hamas, which has governed Gaza since 2007.

"The last thing Palestinians need is to see Palestinians shooting each other while Israel crushes everyone," he says.

Inside the camp, residents say daily life has ground to a halt.

Water and electricity supplies have been cut off and families suffer from a lack of food, bitterly cold weather and relentless gun battles.

Locals who spoke to us asked for their names to be changed, saying they feared reprisals by the PA.

"Things are dire here. We can't move freely in the camp," says Mohamed.

"All the bakeries, the restaurants and shops are closed. The restaurant I work in opens for a day and closes for 10. When it is open, no-one comes.

"We need milk for the children, we need bread. Some people can't open their doors because of the continuous shooting."

The UN humanitarian agency, the OCHA, has called for an investigation into what it describes as human rights violations by the PA forces.

Gen Rajab said some of the "outlaws" who had "hijacked" the Jenin camp had been arrested and that others with pending cases would be brought to justice.

But Mohamed describes the PA's operation - with innocent people caught in the crossfire - as "collective punishment".

"If they want to go after outlaws, that doesn't mean they should punish the whole camp. We want our lives back."

Even going out to get food or water is a risk, says 20-year-old Sadaf.

"When we go out, we say our final prayers. We prepare ourselves mentally that we may not come back.

"It's very cold. We've taken down the doors in our home to use as firewood just to keep warm."

The BBC has heard similar accounts from four residents in the camp.

My conversation with Sadaf is interrupted by the sound of gunfire. It is unclear where it is from or who is firing. It starts and stops several times.

"Warning shots maybe," she suggests, adding it happens sometimes when PA forces are changing shifts.

Sadaf continues describing the camp, with "rubbish filling the streets and almost going into homes". More gunfire can be heard.

Sadaf's mother joins the call. "Listen to this... Can anyone sleep with this sound in the background?

"We sleep in shifts now. We're so scared they might raid our homes. We're as scared of this operation as we are when the Israeli soldiers are here."

People say security forces have deliberately hit electricity grids and generators, leaving the camp in a blackout.

The PA again blames "outlaws" - and insists it has brought in workers to fix the grid.

The armed groups want to "use the people's suffering to pressure the PA to stop the operation", says Gen Rajab. He says the security operation will continue until its objectives are met.

Gen Rajab says the PA's goal is to establish control over the Jenin camp and ensure safety and stability.

He believes stripping the armed groups of control would take away Israel's excuse to attack the camp.

In late August, the Israeli army conducted a major nine-day "counter-terrorism" operation in Jenin city and the camp, which resulted in severe destruction.

At least 36 Palestinians were killed - 21 from Jenin governorate - according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Analysts say that the PA is trying to reassert its authority in the West Bank and show the US it is capable of taking a role in the future governance of Gaza.

"What would be the harm in that?" says Gen Rajab.

"Gaza is part of the Palestinian state. Gaza and the West Bank are not separate entities. There's no Palestinian state without Gaza. The president [Mahmoud Abbas] has said that and that is our strategy."

But Barghouti says this approach is an "illusion". "All you need is to listen to what [Benjamin] Netanyahu says," he adds.

Under the Israeli prime minister's vision for a post-war Gaza, Israel would control security indefinitely, and Palestinians with "no links to groups hostile to Israel" - so none of the existing major Palestinian political parties - would run the territory.

But the US, Israel's major ally, wants the PA to govern Gaza after the war. Netanyahu has previously ruled out a post-war role for the internationally backed PA.

For the residents of Jenin camp, there has been no let-up in the violence and loss.

"The PA say they're here for our safety. Where's the safety when my daughter was killed? Where's the safety with the non-stop shooting?" Umm al-Motassem cries.

"They can go after the 'outlaws' but why did my daughter have to die? Justice will be served when I know who killed my daughter," she says.

Jane Graham has been a school nurse for nearly 20 years – and during this time the nature of her work has completely changed. "When I started, the majority of the support we provided was for physical health, like asthma, allergic reactions and injuries," she says. "Now it's mental health."

She has seen a surge in schoolchildren struggling. "It really impacts pupils at secondary school, but some are as young as seven," she explains.

"We're seeing children with depression, anxiety and stress – and that's leading to panic attacks, self-harm and eating disorders. They're not making it to school or are so anxious they cannot attend classes."

GPs, youth workers and social workers I have spoken to shared similar stories, with many pointing out that mental health cases in the young are rising in ever greater numbers.

One in five children and young people between the ages of eight and 25 in England are now thought to have a mental health disorder, according to official figures. Unsurprisingly, the NHS is struggling to keep up.

In 2024 Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner for England, described the situation as "shocking" and said the system was in "crisis".

What's less clear is why this is happening now.

Plenty of explanations have been offered by experts: the pandemic, the cost of living and the advent of social media have all placed additional pressures on the generation now starting out.

But some experts in the field of mental health have raised another question: that is, is there really a mental health crisis or are young people simply not resilient enough?

In other words, are they lacking the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from day-to-day difficulties that generations before them faced too?

A polarising debate

This question is a polarising one. The word resilience could be interpreted by some as disparaging, or even toxic, in a similar vein as the term "snowflake generation".

But one of the country's leading experts in child and adolescent psychiatry, Prof Andrea Danese believes that resilience needs to be taken seriously.

While greater awareness of mental health "has generally been a positive thing", according to Prof Danese, who is general secretary for the European Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, he says that he is concerned that it may also have "inadvertently contributed to over-pathologising distress in young people".

Distress should not automatically be seen as a sign of mental ill-health, he continues.

"Facing challenges and distress is normal and important in terms of individual growth," he says. "That's how young people develop emotional resilience – they learn coping skills in the face of many small challenges and build self-confidence about their ability to cope. The narratives we build matter."

Ms Graham, the school nurse, is also of the opinion that many children who she has seen struggling - particularly those with more low level mental health problems - would benefit from becoming more resilient.

She believes that if they were equipped with better coping skills, young people would likely be better placed to deal with the challenges they may be facing before they develop into a full-blown crisis – and this in turn would help ease the pressure on services to focus on those who are at high risk of harm.

"We need to do much better at teaching resilience in schools and how to stay mentally healthy," she says. "But the way we treat children, such as primary school sports days where everyone is declared a winner, doesn't help."

Resilience in popular culture

In popular culture, the concept of resilience was popularised in the 1970s, in the wake of research by psychologist Emmy Werner, who studied children in Hawaii from lower-income backgrounds.

More recently it has been the subject of several bestselling books, including Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy, co-authored by Sheryl Sandberg, who was previously chief operating officer at Meta.

Research by academics carried out in Poland suggests that higher levels of resilience improve life satisfaction and act as a buffer against mental health problems among young people.

Two studies involving young people aged between 13 and 18 found those with greater resilience were more able to develop their own coping strategies when dealing with stress, including seeking support and advice from others, and were less likely to dwell on negative emotions or turn to drugs, alcohol or smoking.

However not everyone is in agreement on the issue of resilience - or the questions around the potential downsides of greater mental health awareness.

Dr Shari McDaid, head of policy and evidence (Scotland and Northern Ireland) at the Mental Health Foundation, argues that any suggestion that increased awareness is to blame for rising rates of mental health problems is "misleading".

She points out that for someone to qualify for treatment for mental ill-health, they must meet a clinical threshold and the support they receive must have been judged to be of benefit.

Rather, greater awareness has led to better "mental health literacy", in her view, which in turn has given people the tools to recognise and manage day-to-day emotions.

"What we need to do is work harder at preventing young people's mental distress from escalating into disorder - and we can do this through a whole-of-society approach that creates mentally healthy communities, schools and workplaces, as well as by fostering young people's personal resilience," she says.

"The two approaches go hand in hand."

From Covid to the great rewiring

Dr McDaid argues that the current generation of children and young adults face a unique set of challenges, pointing out they were the toddlers and infants of the 2008 financial crisis and have also lived through the divides around Brexit as well as the Covid-19 pandemic during their formative years.

"We know adverse events are cumulative - the more you experience the more likely you are to struggle," she says.

Social media also plays a part. While it has benefits, Dr McDaid points out that cyber-bullying and body image pressures, which can be exacerbated on social media, cause additional stress.

"There has always been unrealistic images… but social media has complicated things further," she adds.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that advents in the digital world have led to a "great rewiring of childhood", in which children are spending less time socialising in person and more time glued to their screens. In his book The Anxious Generation, he suggests that this affects self-esteem and personal connections, which are crucial to good mental health.

But Prof Danese says that social media usage alone cannot "wholly explain" why mental health problems have become widespread.

It is, he argues, more likely to "amplify" problems rather than cause them. "The causes [of the rise in mental health problems] are complex and I'm not sure we fully understand them."

And it is the cumulative effect of a great many challenges, rather than one in isolation, that creates a perfect storm.

As one young person puts it: "From social media platforms that make us more isolated and anxious, to underfunded mental health services that are on the brink of collapse and a global climate crisis that puts our future at risk - it's no wonder that young people are struggling to stay positive."

'Like putting a plaster on a wound'

Adele Zeynep Walton is 25 years old and has written extensively about the negative impact of the online era on her generation's mental health, including in her book, Logging Off: The Human Cost of Our Digital World.

"While individual resilience can be a great tool to protect us from the severity of the challenges we face and help us bounce back from the struggles of everyday life, to say it can fix the problems facing young people today is like putting a plaster on a gaping wound," she argues.

Instead, she believes the answer lies in tackling the addictive and toxic nature of social media platforms and investing in community spaces - as well as listening to young people themselves.

"What young people need is the recognition that the world we live in today makes it difficult to thrive as a young person and a genuine effort from those in power to tackle those barriers to wellbeing at the root."

Adam Jones, a policy and public affairs manager at mental health charity Young Minds, is also wary of the term resilience, which he argues can be used in a "stigmatising" way.

But he does share concerns that the current approach is "over-medicalised".

More than 600,000 young people aged 15 to 25 in England were prescribed anti-depressants in 2023-24, according to NHS England, and thousands more are believed to have been prescribed other drugs to treat conditions such as anxiety.

"Drug treatment can be useful for some, but clinical guidelines are clear that it should not be the first-line treatment for most," says Mr Jones.

Hamza Dar, a 26-year-old wellness influencer from Manchester who shares mental health advice with his followers on TikTok and Instagram under the name Humz D, agrees there needs to be changes in the way support is provided. He suggests, among other things, that children in schools should be taught strategies like meditation from year one.

Nonetheless, he argues, young people are already well aware of the importance of resilience.

"[It] has become a vital characteristic that every young person has had to embody just to navigate and survive in a world like this."

The role of others: social resilience

Prof Danese is quick to stress that he is not arguing young people do not need support. Instead, he suggests they perhaps just need a different sort of help to that which is currently on offer – alongside earlier identification of those at risk of developing the most serious mental health problems.

For Prof Danese, the true meaning of resilience isn't what it may at first appear. Emotional resilience, he says, isn't just about the individual coping by themselves, but about the backing they receive from friends, family and community too, whether through community centres, sporting opportunities and social events.

But some of these opportunities have been lost, he says, nodding to a withdrawal of funding in the past and the closure of some networks that can provide support to young people.

Mr Jones agrees, arguing young people should be offered greater access to activities that connect them with their community and build friendships. He also says there needs to be non-clinical support for issues such as housing and employment as well as more more personalised therapies.

There are examples of projects offering this kind of joined-up help, often in partnerships between councils, charities and, sometimes, the NHS.

Mr Jones points to The Nest in south London and the Young Person's Advisory Service in Merseyside as two schemes that take a flexible approach, offering a diverse range of support, including employment training, budget and benefits advice.

The problem is that more generally, the current prevailing approach embedded across most of the NHS is not conducive to bringing networks together in this way.

"We need to rethink the mental health system for young people in its entirety," argues Mr Jones.

So, perhaps the question at the heart of the mental health crisis is less about whether young people are resilient enough - but whether they can access sufficient support to become so.

Additional reporting by Tara Mewawalla

Top image credit: Getty

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Wind provided more electricity than ever last year as the UK moved further away from planet-warming fossil fuels to power the nation, new data shows.

Wind generated nearly 83 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity across Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland), up from nearly 79TWh in 2023, show figures from the National Energy System Operator (Neso), which coordinates electricity distribution.

Electricity generation from major fossil fuel power stations fell to just over a quarter of the total last year as other renewable sources, such as solar, also rose, along with electricity imports.

The government wants less than 5% of electricity to come from polluting fossil fuels by 2030.

Neso - the government's independent system planner and operator for the energy transition - has previously described the government's 'Clean Power 2030 Action Plan' as "achievable" but "at the limit of what is feasible".

The government considers clean electricity to include renewables, such as wind, solar, hydropower and bioenergy, as well as nuclear power.

Together, these sources generated around 56% of Great Britain's electricity in 2024 - a new high, according to preliminary Neso data that will be confirmed this week.

Major fossil fuel generation (mainly gas) fell to 26%, while a further 16% came from imported electricity.

Neso data does not cover Northern Ireland, which has its own electricity transmission system operator, SONI.

The figures only include fossil fuel and biomass generation from major power stations connected to the main transmission network. For these sources, Neso does not include smaller-scale operators that feed in electricity at a local level, although typically these contribute a relatively small fraction of fossil fuel power.

As a result, government figures for 2024 due in March, which will take into account all power sources, may differ slightly from Neso's data. But the direction of travel is clear.

Back in 2014, wind and solar accounted for around 10% of Great Britain's electricity. That has now risen to about a third, according to Neso's figures.

Over the same period, fossil fuel generation has fallen by more than half.

That is mainly thanks to a sharp fall in coal generation - the dirtiest fossil fuel - with the UK's final coal power station closing in 2024. Gas generation has also begun to decline.

This has helped to significantly clean up Britain's power generation.

In 2024, each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated 124g of planet-warming carbon dioxide on average - a new low, and down from 419g/kWh in 2014, according to Neso.

But gas remains a crucial part of the UK's electricity mix, helping to maintain power supply when output from weather-dependent wind and solar sources drops.

Britain's wind turbines can generate huge amounts of electricity when weather conditions are right, as shown by the darkest blue in the chart below.

On around 10 days in December alone, more than 50% of Great Britain's electricity generation came from wind.

However, there are of course less windy periods when electricity generation from wind drops. In the longer term, these gaps could be filled using emerging green technologies, such as batteries, to store energy during windier times.

There could also be extra incentives for people to use electricity during windy periods, for example by offering cheaper prices.

But for now, gas power stations, a ready source of on-demand energy, need to be fired up to fill the gaps. For three consecutive days between 11-13 December, for example, more than 60% of electricity generation came from gas as wind output dropped.

In its plan for meeting the 2030 clean energy target published last month, the government committed to keeping a reserve capacity of gas power stations for this purpose.

Last month Claire Coutinho, Conservative shadow secretary of state for energy security, said Labour's "rush" to decarbonise the electricity system by 2030 would push up electricity prices and cause more hardship for people across Britain.

"We need cheap, reliable energy - not even higher bills," she said.

Shoppers spent more in December compared with the year before but it wasn't enough to make up for an overall lacklustre year for retailers, new figures suggest.

Doing particularly well over Christmas were gifts including beauty advent calendars, jewellery and AI-enabled tech, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said.

December's growth of 3.2% was boosted by a big weekend of Black Friday sales, which are normally included in November's figures.

But with growth for the last three months of 2024 being only 0.4% higher than the previous year, it finishes a weak 12 months for retailers overall, and the BRC warned that 2025 would be "challenging" due to rising taxes and wage costs.

Although many firms are yet to report on their performance over the Christmas period, the BRC said the new year would see retailers grapple with rising National Insurance Contributions, a higher National Living Wage, as well as new packaging levies.

Meanwhile, Barclays reported that consumer spending on debit and credit cards was flat in December. It said people were splashing out on entertainment and leisure but this was offset by cutbacks in some essential spending.

'Difficult' conditions

Across the year, sales in 2024 were 0.7% higher than in 2023.

The BRC said a last-minute bump in December sales came from Christmas shopping and the fact that Black Friday sale was included in the month's figures.

"Food sales fared better over the Christmas period, ticking up slightly from the previous year, meanwhile beauty products, jewellery and electricals made a strong showing under the tree this year," said the BRC's chief executive Helen Dickinson.

Although slower than the year before, food sales increased over the year by 3.3%, and by a higher amount in December.

Budget supermarket Lidl said it had the most successful Christmas in its history, boosted by people buying festive food such as pigs in blankets and turkey.

But the BRC's figures showed people spent less on other things - sales for non-food items over the year fell by 1.5%.

Overall, the last three months of last year "failed to give 2024 the send-off retailers were hoping for", in a "challenging year marked by weak consumer confidence and difficult economic conditions", Ms Dickinson said.

Retail analyst Natalie Berg from NBK Retail said: "Consumers aren't battening down the hatches just yet."

But she added: "Shoppers will likely face higher prices and fewer discounts in the coming months."

Lower footfall

Throughout the year, the number of people going to bricks-and-mortar shops fell for the second year in a row, the BRC found.

Footfall dropped 2.2% in 2024, having also fallen in 2023, despite some shops taking measures, such as offering free wine, to attract shoppers.

Even days considered to be bumper sales days for retailers have seen lower footfall.

In 2024, Boxing Day saw a 6.2% drop in visitors to High Streets, and a drop of 4.2% to shopping centres compared with the year before, data gathered by MRI Software showed.

In 2025, New Year sales in the first five days of January saw a decline in footfall, with high streets seeing almost 4% fewer visitors than 2024. MRI's Jenni Matthews said the decline was significant, and worsened by travel disruptions and snowfall.

Under growing pressure from his own party, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will step down and end his nine-year stretch as leader.

Trudeau said he would stay on in office until his Liberal Party can choose a new leader, and that parliament would be prorogued - or suspended - until 24 March.

"This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," he said during a press conference Monday.

Trudeau's personal unpopularity with Canadians had become an increasing drag on his party's fortunes in advance of federal elections later this year.

"Last night, over dinner, I told my kids about the decision that I'm sharing with you today," he told the news conference in Ottawa.

"I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process," he said.

The president of the Liberal Party, Sachit Mehra, said a meeting of the party's board of directors would be held this week to begin the process of selecting a new leader.

Who might replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader?

Why the Trudeau era has come to an end now

What happens next for Canada?

In a statement, he added: "Liberals across the country are immensely grateful to Justin Trudeau for more than a decade of leadership to our Party and the country."

"As Prime Minister, his vision delivered transformational progress for Canadians," he said, citing programmes his government has implemented like the Canada Child Benefit and the establishment of dental care and pharmacare coverage for some medication.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said "nothing has changed" following Trudeau's resignation.

"Every Liberal MP and Leadership contender supported EVERYTHING Trudeau did for 9 years, and now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another 4 years, just like Justin," Poilievre wrote on X.

Trudeau, 53, had faced growing calls to quit from inside his Liberal Party, which ramped up in December when deputy prime minister and long-time ally Chrystia Freeland abruptly resigned.

In a public resignation letter, Freeland cited US President-elect Donald Trump's threats of tariffs on Canadian goods, and accused Trudeau of not doing enough to address the "grave challenge" posed by Trump's proposals.

Trump has promised to impose a tax of 25% on imported Canadian goods - which economists have warned would significantly hurt Canada's economy - unless the country takes steps to increase security on its shared border.

Trudeau said Monday that he had hoped Freeland would have continued as deputy prime minister, "but she chose otherwise".

Canada has since announced that it will implement sweeping new security measures along the country's US border in response to the threat.

In an online post, Trump claimed that pressure over tariffs led to Trudeau's resignation and repeated his jibe that Canada should become "the 51st State".

"If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them," he wrote.

Since 2019, the Liberal Party has governed as a minority party.

Following Freeland's resignation, Trudeau lost the backing of parties that had previously helped keep the Liberals in power - the left-leaning New Democrats, who had a support agreement with the Liberals, and the Quebec nationalist party, Bloc Quebecois.

The largest opposition party, the Conservatives, have maintained a significant two-digit lead over the Liberals in polls for months - suggesting that if a general election were held today, the Liberals could be in for a significant defeat.

Liberals will now choose a new leader to take the party into the next election, which must be held on or before 20 October.

A senior government official told the BBC that the race is an open contest, and that the Prime Minister's Office will fully stay out of the process, leaving it to Liberal Party members to decide their future.

Speaking to reporters, the Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet suggested that an early election be called once the Liberals choose their new leader.

End of the Trudeau era

Trudeau is the son of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who dominated the country's politics in the 1970s and '80s.

The younger Trudeau became prime minister after the Liberal Party won a sweeping majority in 2015 amid a promise to usher in a new, progressive era of "Sunny Ways".

His record includes a commitment to gender equality in his cabinet, which continues to be 50% women; progress on reconciliation with Indigenous people in Canada; bringing in a national carbon tax; implementing a tax-free child benefit for families; and legalising recreational cannabis.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak praised Trudeau's track record on indigenous issues following his resignation, saying in a statement that he "has taken meaningful steps to address issues that matter to First Nations".

"While much work remains, these actions have laid a foundation for future governments to build upon."

Clouds began to hang over Trudeau's government in recent years, which weathered a series of often self-inflicted scandals, including a controversy over a deal with a Canadian firm facing corruption charges and photos that emerged of the prime minister wearing brownface makeup.

Vaccine mandates and other restrictions were also met with fierce backlash by some Canadians, leading to the Freedom Convoy truck protests in early 2022. Trudeau eventually used unprecedented emergency powers to remove the protesters.

As Canada began to emerge from the pandemic, housing and food prices skyrocketed, and his government pulled back on ambitious immigration targets as public services began to show strain.

By late 2024, Trudeau's approval rating was at its lowest - just 22% of Canadians saying they thought he was doing a good job, according to one polling tracker.

In Ottawa, a small group of protestors danced outside Parliament Hill in celebration of his resignation.

One passer-by, however, said he thinks things were fine under Trudeau's watch.

"I'm a carpenter," Hames Gamarra, who is from British Columbia, told the BBC. "I mind my own business, I get my wages, I pay the bills. It's been OK."

Another Canadian, Marise Cassivi, said it feels like the end of an era. Asked if she feels any hints of sadness, she replied: "No."

"It's the right thing."

At least five people have died in a winter storm that has seized a swathe of the US in its icy grip, leading to mass school closures, travel chaos and power cuts.

Seven US states declared emergencies: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas.

More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled, with about 6,500 delays also reported owing to the extreme weather caused by the polar vortex of icy cold air that usually circles the North Pole.

More than a quarter of a million people were without power on Monday afternoon, with snowfall forecast to continue into the night on the East Coast.

According to meteorologists, cold Arctic air is expected to keep conditions icy across a chunk of the country for several more weeks.

In Washington DC - where lawmakers met on Monday to certify Donald Trump's win in November's election - about 5-9in (13-23cm) of snow fell, with up to a foot recorded in parts of nearby Maryland and Virginia.

• Live Updates: Major winter storm brings heavy snow and travel disruption

In front of the Washington Monument, hundreds of local residents gathered at a local park for a snowball fight, a now 15-year-old tradition.

"Just having fun," one local man told the BBC. "Never done a snowball fight before."

Former US Olympic skier Clare Egan was found cross-country skiing on the National Mall, the central thoroughfare of the US capital city.

She told the Associated Press she had thought "my skiing days were maybe behind me".

Washington DC's weather emergency is declared until the early hours of Tuesday as a result of the system, which was named Winter Storm Blair by the Weather Channel.

Children who had been due to go back to classes on Monday after the Christmas and Hanukkah break were instead enjoying a snow day as school districts closed from Maryland to Kansas.

In other parts of the US, the winter storm brought with it dangerous road conditions.

In Missouri, the state's highway patrol said at least 365 people had crashed on Sunday, leaving dozens injured and at least one dead.

In nearby Kansas, one of the worst-hit states, local news reported that two people were killed in a car crash during the storm.

In Houston, Texas, a person was found dead from cold weather in front of a bus stop on Monday morning, authorities said.

In Virginia, where 300 car crashes were reported between midnight and Monday morning, authorities warned local residents to avoid driving in large parts of the state.

At least one motorist was killed, according to local media reports.

Matthew Cappucci, a senior meteorologist at the weather app MyRadar, told the BBC that Kansas City had seen the heaviest snow in 32 years.

Some areas near the Ohio River in Kansas and Missouri turned to "skating rinks" in the frigid temperatures, he added.

"The ploughs are getting stuck, the police are getting stuck, everybody's getting stuck - stay home," he said.

Data from Poweroutage.us, a tracking website, shows that over 260,000 people were without power on Monday afternoon, across the storm's path through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.

A Scot has been killed while serving as a medic with the Ukrainian army, his family has said.

Jordan Maclachlan, 26, from Ardnamurchan, volunteered to help Ukraine after Russia's invasion in February 2022.

His family said he died on Friday while serving on the frontline.

In a statement, they said: "Jordan always believed that he was making a difference and we are all so proud of him helping others."

'Greatly missed'

Mr Maclachlan's family said he joined Ukraine's army soon after volunteering three years ago.

They said: "We are waiting for further information from the Foreign Office as information is very limited.

"Jordan was a fun-loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and a friend to many and will be greatly missed by all who knew him."

The family asked for privacy at a difficult time.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities."

The FCDO advises against all travel to certain parts of Ukraine and all but essential travel to other areas of the country.

A number of Scots have made the perilous trip since the Russian invasion was launched on 24 February 2022.

Six months later a mechanic from Biggar, South Lanarkshire, who joined the fight against Russia, was hailed as a hero in his adopted country.

Adam Ennis, 35, left his garage business to join the international legion, with just basic training he gained from a cadet scheme at school.

But in December 2022 another volunteer, Jonathan Shenkin, from Glasgow, was killed in Ukraine.

A family tribute on social media said Mr Shenkin, 45, "died as a hero in an act of bravery as a paramedic".

Multi-billionaire Elon Musk has accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of being "deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes".

Mr Musk has published a series of posts on X suggesting Starmer failed to deal with the grooming gang scandal while head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) between 2008 and 2013.

In response, Starmer has accused critics of "spreading lies and misinformation" and claims he tackled prosecutions "head on".

What is the grooming gang scandal?

The row between Mr Musk and Starmer centres around a series of high-profile cases where groups of men - mainly of Pakistani descent - were convicted of sexually abusing and raping predominantly young white girls around the UK.

In 2012 The Times newspaper investigated Rotherham grooming gangs, which led to a major inquiry.

At least 1,400 children were subjected to appalling sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, according to a 2014 report written by Prof Alexis Jay.

The report made headlines in the UK and around the world and led to major debates in Parliament.

Similar scandals also occurred in other towns, including Oldham, Oxford, Rochdale and Telford, leading to a national inquiry into child sexual abuse, which was also by Prof Jay.

The cases sparked investigations into alleged failures to properly address the crimes and support victims.

Was the CPS or Starmer 'complicit'?

The CPS, an independent body, prosecutes criminal cases in England and Wales.

After the police investigate crimes and present their findings, the CPS decides whether to prosecute based on evidence and public interest.

Starmer was appointed head of the CPS in 2008 and held the role for five years. He became an MP in 2015.

The CPS was criticised for a decision not to proceed with a prosecution in Rochdale on the basis that it viewed the main victim as "unreliable" following an investigation between August 2008 and August 2009.

That decision was overturned later by Nazir Afzal in 2011 after being appointed by Starmer as the CPS chief prosecutor for north-west England.

Speaking to BBC Verify, Mr Afzal said that the view of prosecutors not to proceed to trial at the time was "if the police aren't happy that she will give credible evidence then we're not happy either".

He went on to say that he had reviewed and reversed the decision as "I believed what she [the victim] was saying".

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But this is not the only instance where the CPS has faced criticism.

Prof Jay's report into the Rotherham cases said the police would often cite the CPS as being unwilling to prosecute alleged perpetrators, but they said that it had been "much more helpful" later on.

A 2013 report from the Home Affairs Committee said that "unlike many other official agencies implicated in this issue", the CPS had "readily admitted that victims had been let down by them and have attempted both to discover the cause of this systematic failure and to improve the way things are done so as to avoid a repetition of such events".

It added: "Mr Starmer has striven to improve the treatment of victims of sexual assault within the criminal justice system throughout his term as Director of Public Prosecution."

Maggie Oliver, a former Manchester detective who now campaigns for victims of child sex abuse, told BBC Verify that the CPS "bear a great deal of responsibility for the failures around this issue", including bringing inadequate charges and blaming victims.

She added that while there was now much more awareness around the issue, "in my foundation we still see individual cases subjected to massive failures in the systems".

We have been unable to find any direct criticism of Starmer personally in any of the reports on the scandal, nor can we identify any suggestions that he himself made any decisions not to prosecute.

How has Starmer responded?

The prime minister has robustly defended his record as the former head of the CPS, telling journalists he:

• Changed the prosecution approach to "challenge myths and stereotypes" that had stopped victims from being heard
• Left office when the CPS had the highest number of child sex abuse prosecutions on record
• Reopened cases that had been closed
• Brought the first prosecution of an Asian grooming gang

It is correct that Starmer revised the guidance on child sexual exploitation in 2013 to make future prosecutions easier.

Previously, victims may not have been viewed as credible if they had not complained immediately, if they had used drugs or alcohol or if they had dressed or acted in particular ways.

On child sexual abuse prosecutions, we found CPS figures dating back to 2007 but the early years are now only on archived web pages - as they are no longer on the CPS website.

They show that the "number of prosecutions for child sexual abuse flagged cases" did rise from that year to reach 4,794 in April 2010 to March 2011 - a peak for Starmer's time in charge of the CPS.

That total was subsequently surpassed - there were nearly 7,200 prosecutions in 2016-2017.

BBC Verify has asked Downing Street for more detail on the data behind the prime minister's claim.

On reopening cases, Mr Afzal said that the creation of a national panel to revisit cases under Starmer had been a success.

"That panel also included - for the time ever - external representatives. It revisited dozens of cases that were then restarted," he said.

How many child grooming cases were prosecuted under Starmer?

In defending his record, Starmer referred only to the broad category of child sex abuse prosecution data.

When it comes to child grooming gangs, there is no single clear data set because no specific offence exists.

Instead, offenders can be prosecuted for causing or facilitating sexual exploitation, or for committing specific offences such as rape and indecent assault.

Information on child grooming-related prosecutions appear in Prof Jay's 2022 report into child sexual exploitation by organised networks - a government-commissioned report into institutional child abuse failings published in 2022.

The report mentions several "significant prosecutions" between 2010 and 2014, including 35 convictions which took place while Starmer was DPP:

• November 2010 - five men convicted in Rotherham
• November 2010 - 11 men convicted in Derbyshire
• 2008-2010 - three men convicted in Cornwall
• May 2012 - nine men from Rochdale and Oldham convicted
• June 2013 - seven men from Oxford convicted

A Times report from 2011 identified 17 grooming gang prosecutions since 1997.

It said 14 of them took place during the previous three years and involved the on-street grooming of girls aged 11 to 16 by groups of men across 13 towns and cities.

A report by the National Police Chiefs' Council last year concluded that 5% of child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes were group-based - but more specific figures weren't disclosed.

BBC Verify has sent a freedom of information request to the CPS asking for a yearly breakdown of prosecutions for child grooming related offences.

We have also contacted the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.

Additional reporting by Lucy Gilder and Gerry Georgieva

What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

For months now, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been asked variations of the same question: "Will you step down?"

But though he vowed to stay on as Liberal Party leader - despite deepening frustrations amongst voters and a political rival surging in the polls - even the self-described "fighter" could not withstand the growing chorus of members of his own party calling for him to resign.

"This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," Trudeau conceded on Monday, announcing his resignation in front of Rideau Cottage, his official residence for most of the last decade.

He will stay on as prime minister until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, at a date yet to be set by the party.

• Follow developments live
• Who might replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader?

Trudeau swept to power nearly a decade ago, heralded as the fresh face of progressive politics.

In 2015, swayed by his youthful charisma and a hopeful political message, voters catapulted the Liberals from a third-place party to holding a majority of seats in parliament - unprecedented in Canadian political history.

Now, he remains the only leader left standing among peers when he came into office, from Barack Obama to Angela Merkel, Shinzo Abe and David Cameron, and is currently the longest-serving leader in the G7.

But in the years since his ascent to the global stage, and over two general elections, Trudeau and his brand have become a drag on the party's fortunes.

Paul Wells, a Canadian political journalist and the author of Justin Trudeau on the Ropes, recently told the BBC he believes Trudeau will be remembered "as a consequential" prime minister, notably for providing genuine leadership on issues like indigenous reconciliation and, to some extent, climate policy.

But he is also one "who felt increasingly out of touch with public opinion and was increasingly unable to adjust to changing times".

A series of ethics scandals began to take the sheen off the new government - he was found to have violated federal conflict of interest rules in the handling of a corruption inquiry – the SNC-Lavalin affair - and for luxury trips to the Bahamas.

In 2020, he faced scrutiny for picking a charity with ties to his family to manage a major government programme.

In a general election in 2019, his party was reduced to a minority status, meaning the Liberals had to rely on the support of other parties to stay in power.

A snap election in 2021 did not improve their fortunes.

More recently, Trudeau faced headwinds from cost of living increases and inflation that have contributed to election upsets around the world.

And after more than nine years in power, he is among Canada's longest serving prime ministers, and there is a general sense of fatigue and frustration with his government.

The writing was on the wall. Over the summer, voters rejected Liberal candidates in a handful of special elections in once-safe Liberal seats, leading to the beginning of internal party unrest.

Public opinion polls also reached new depths.

A survey conducted over the holidays by the Angus Reid Institute suggested the lowest level of support for the party in their tracking, dating back to 2014.

But the shock resignation of his key deputy, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, in mid-December proved to be the final straw, as members of his own party made it clear they no longer supported his leadership.

Apple has said it will update, rather than pause, a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that has generated inaccurate news alerts on its latest iPhones.

The company, in its first acknowledgement of the concerns, on Monday said it was working on a software change to "further clarify" when the notifications are summaries that have been generated by the Apple Intelligence system.

The tech giant is facing calls to pull the technology after its flawed performance.

The BBC complained last month after an AI-generated summary of its headline falsely told some readers that Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself.

On Friday, Apple's AI inaccurately summarised BBC app notifications to claim that Luke Littler had won the PDC World Darts Championship hours before it began - and that the Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.

This marks the first time Apple has formally responded to the concerns voiced by the BBC about the errors, which appear as if they are coming from within the organisation's app.

"These summarisations by Apple are spreading misinformation which does not reflect – and in some cases completely contradicts – the original BBC content," the BBC said on Monday.

"They are harming trust not only in the BBC, but in news and information more widely. It is imperative that Apple addresses these issues urgently."

• What is AI and how does it work?
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Apple said its update would arrive "in the coming weeks".

It has previously said its notification summaries - which group together and rewrite previews of multiple recent app notifications into a single alert on user's lock screens - aim to allow users to "scan for key details".

"Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback," the company said in a statement on Monday, adding that receiving the summaries is optional.

"A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence. We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary."

The feature, along with others released as part of its broader suite of AI tools was rolled out in the UK in December. It is only available on its iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max handsets running iOS 18.1 and above, as well as on some iPads and Macs.

Several instances of the technology appearing to interpret messages in a highly blunt, literal way have gone viral on social media.

In November, a ProPublica journalist highlighted erroneous Apple AI summaries of alerts from the New York Times app suggesting it had reported that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the screenshots, and the New York Times declined to comment.

Reporters Without Borders, an organisation representing the rights and interests of journalists, called on Apple to disable the feature in December.

It said the attribution of a false headline about Mr Mangione to the BBC showed "generative AI services are still too immature to produce reliable information for the public".

Apple is not alone in having rolled out generative AI tools that can create text, images and more content when prompted by users - but with varying results.

Google's AI overviews feature, which provides a written summary of information from results at the top of its search engine in response to user queries, faced criticism last year for producing some erratic responses.

At the time a Google spokesperson said that these were 'isolated examples' and that the feature was generally working well.

A rugby league player who was charged with rape, sexual assault and two counts of assault has fled to his home country of Papua New Guinea.

Keven Appo, 25, who played for Bradford Bulls, was given conditional bail at 16:00 GMT on 26 November, Bradford Magistrates' Court heard on Monday.

By 20:40 GMT that evening Mr Appo had boarded a flight to Dubai from Manchester Airport and subsequently arrived in Papua New Guinea via a connecting flight.

Prosecutor Fiona Newcombe told the court an extradition process was now underway to return Mr Appo to the United Kingdom to face the charges against him.

Mr Appo had been due to appear for a hearing at the court on Monday morning.

He had given his house and car keys to the manager of the rugby club, Ms Newcombe told the court.

She said authorities would now work with police in Papua New Guinea to extradite him.

Mr Appo, of Halifax, was sacked by Bradford Bulls after he was charged with the offences.

In a statement the club previously said they had "cancelled Keven Appo's playing contract".

Bradford Bulls signed Sheffield Eagles back-rower Bayley Liu to replace Mr Appo.

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The Christmas Day episode of Gavin & Stacey has become one of the most watched scripted TV shows of the century.

According to official Barb ratings figures, after seven days of catch-up viewing the finale of the much loved comedy had been seen by 19.11 million people.

That beats the last Gavin & Stacey special in 2019 which at the same stage had an audience of 17.92m, rising to 18.49m after a month.

The 90 minute 2024 special resolved the cliff hanger from five years before, when Nessa (Ruth Jones) asked Smithy (James Corden) to marry her.

Also performing well was the new Wallace & Gromit adventure Vengeance Most Fowl. The return of villain Feathers McGraw was watched by 16.29m viewers after a week of catch-up.

The biggest TV audiences of recent years remain big news and sports events, including government lockdown announcements and European and World Cup football matches.

When the next set of Barb figures are issued in three weeks, reflecting 28 days of catch-up viewing, it's expected that Gavin & Stacey will have passed or be close to passing the 20 million viewer milestone.

No scripted show has achieved that figures for 28 days of catch-up were first issued in December 2014. Only figures for seven days of catch-up are available for shows before that date.

The 2001 Only Fools and Horses Christmas special is recorded as having more than 20 million viewers after seven days, but the way ratings were calculated by Barb before 2002 was different to the current system, which means direct comparisons will not be accurate.

After weeks of mounting pressure to step down, Justin Trudeau has announced he will resign as Canada's prime minister and as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

The resignation brings a long political chapter to an end. Trudeau has been in power since 2015, when he brought the Liberals back to power from the political wilderness.

Trudeau said he will remain at the helm until a new Liberal leader is selected.

But many questions remain for the Liberals, including who will take over and how they will manage a looming federal election. So what happens next?

Addressing Canadians on Monday, Trudeau said the country's governor general had accepted his request to prorogue Parliament - essentially a suspension that will stop all proceedings, including debates and votes, without dissolving parliament.

While a routine part of parliamentary procedure, it is sometimes used by governments to buy time during a political crisis.

This latest prorogation will freeze parliament until 24 March, just four days before a scheduled 28 March vote on supply to allow the federal government to operate.

It is likely the Liberal caucus will try to have their new leader in place by that date, though it is so far unclear how that leader will be chosen.

Typically, leaders of Canada's federal parties are chosen over a four or five month period, a process that includes a formal leadership convention.

On Monday, Trudeau said a new leader would be chosen through a "robust, nationwide, competitive process".

"I am excited to see the process unfold in the months ahead," he said.

There is no clear successor to Trudeau, but several prominent Liberals including former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Transport Minister Anita Anand and formal central banker Mark Carney have been floated as possible leaders.

Polls indicate that if a Canadian election were to be held today, the official opposition Conservative Party would be handed a decisive victory.

Riding high in opinion polls with a double-digit lead, the Conservatives have tried for months to trigger an election - which must occur before October - by bringing a series of no-confidence votes in the House of Commons.

If a government loses a confidence motion or vote in the House, it is expected to resign or seek the dissolution of parliament, triggering a federal election.

The government needs the backing of a majority of the 338 members of parliament in a no-confidence vote. The Liberals are 17 seats shy of that, meaning they require support from members of Canada's other parties.

• Trudeau defiant in face of turmoil
• Trudeau facing cold reality after lonely week on world stage

For months now, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been asked variations of the same question: "Will you step down?"

But though he vowed to stay on as Liberal Party leader - despite deepening frustrations amongst voters and a political rival surging in the polls - even the self-described "fighter" could not withstand the growing chorus of members of his own party calling for him to resign.

"This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," Trudeau conceded on Monday, announcing his resignation in front of Rideau Cottage, his official residence for most of the last decade.

He will stay on as prime minister until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, at a date yet to be set by the party.

• Follow developments live
• Who might replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader?

Trudeau swept to power nearly a decade ago, heralded as the fresh face of progressive politics.

In 2015, swayed by his youthful charisma and a hopeful political message, voters catapulted the Liberals from a third-place party to holding a majority of seats in parliament - unprecedented in Canadian political history.

Now, he remains the only leader left standing among peers when he came into office, from Barack Obama to Angela Merkel, Shinzo Abe and David Cameron, and is currently the longest-serving leader in the G7.

But in the years since his ascent to the global stage, and over two general elections, Trudeau and his brand have become a drag on the party's fortunes.

Paul Wells, a Canadian political journalist and the author of Justin Trudeau on the Ropes, recently told the BBC he believes Trudeau will be remembered "as a consequential" prime minister, notably for providing genuine leadership on issues like indigenous reconciliation and, to some extent, climate policy.

But he is also one "who felt increasingly out of touch with public opinion and was increasingly unable to adjust to changing times".

A series of ethics scandals began to take the sheen off the new government - he was found to have violated federal conflict of interest rules in the handling of a corruption inquiry – the SNC-Lavalin affair - and for luxury trips to the Bahamas.

In 2020, he faced scrutiny for picking a charity with ties to his family to manage a major government programme.

In a general election in 2019, his party was reduced to a minority status, meaning the Liberals had to rely on the support of other parties to stay in power.

A snap election in 2021 did not improve their fortunes.

More recently, Trudeau faced headwinds from cost of living increases and inflation that have contributed to election upsets around the world.

And after more than nine years in power, he is among Canada's longest serving prime ministers, and there is a general sense of fatigue and frustration with his government.

The writing was on the wall. Over the summer, voters rejected Liberal candidates in a handful of special elections in once-safe Liberal seats, leading to the beginning of internal party unrest.

Public opinion polls also reached new depths.

A survey conducted over the holidays by the Angus Reid Institute suggested the lowest level of support for the party in their tracking, dating back to 2014.

But the shock resignation of his key deputy, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, in mid-December proved to be the final straw, as members of his own party made it clear they no longer supported his leadership.

Flood warnings have been issued in parts of England, as wintry conditions continue to cause travel delays and school closures across the UK.

Major incidents have been declared in Lincolnshire and Leicester over flooding caused by heavy rains.

Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued in Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland and Wales and areas of northwest and southwest England until Tuesday morning.

Travel disruption caused by the cold and wet weather continued into Monday, with roads, railways and airports all affected.

A Met Office warning for snow and ice across large parts of Scotland came into force at 16:00 and will last until midday on Tuesday.

In Northern Ireland, a yellow alert for snow and ice warning will be in place until 11:00 on Tuesday.

A yellow alert for snow and ice across Wales and parts of northwest and southwest England took effect at 17:00 on Monday, lasting until 10:00 on Tuesday.

As of Monday afternoon, there were 176 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 311 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, in place across England.

In Wales, one flood warning and 13 flood alerts are in place.

A major incident has been declared in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland due to severe flooding, with homes submerged and people left trapped in their vehicles by rising water.

Lincolnshire became the second county to declare a major incident over flooding.

Emma Hardy, the minister for water and flooding, told MPs that the country's flood defences were "in the worst condition on record". She blamed "years of under-investment" under the previous Conservative government.

"There are approximately 60,000 properties less well protected than if flood defences were at an optimal condition," she said, adding the government had pledged £2bn in the next two years to "build and maintain" flood defences.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his thoughts were with all those affected and thanked "responders working hard to keep communities safe".

The coldest temperature of the UK winter so far was recorded on Sunday night, when the mercury hit -13.3C (8F) in Loch Glascarnoch in Scotland.

On Monday morning, snowy conditions forced schools across north-east Scotland and northern England to close on the first day back after the Christmas holidays.

Power had to be restored to thousands of homes and businesses in the north-east of England following outages caused by the cold snap, according to network operator Northern Powergrid.

Roads across the UK were impacted by the weather. Extensive flooding in Gloucester forced the M5 to close on Monday morning. The M25 in Surrey also closed after a lorry toppled over and blocked the carriageway.

Railway lines across the UK were affected by flooding, while Manchester Airport was again forced to shut two runways after heavy snow.

Looking ahead

Tonight the weather will feel quieter, as the area of low pressure which brought snow and rain this morning has cleared eastwards but it leaves behind it some very cold air and some wintry showers.

There will be a widespread frost with temperatures dropping widely below freezing and the risk of ice almost everywhere.

There will be frost not just within the warning areas but also further east, where there has been snowmelt and the ground is still wet from recent rain.

Various warnings are in force for snow and ice issued by the Met Office.

There will be further wintry showers blowing in on a north-westerly wind through the evening and overnight period. These showers could be frequent and fall as sleet or snow especially over the high ground where there could be some accumulations.

In northern and western Scotland, wintry showers with accumulations of 5-10cm over 200m are expected.

There will be further sporadic wintry showers in the same sort of areas tomorrow but for many it will be dry with some sunshine but just very cold with temperatures no higher than mid-single figures.

There is a separate warning in place for possible snow across southern counties of England on Wednesday valid from 09:00 until midnight which could be disruptive and produce as much as 2-5cm of snow fairly widely.

However, the forecast for this remains uncertain.

How is the warming climate changing winters?

The world has warmed by more than 1C since the pre-industrial era. UK winters are changing as a result.

While the climate continues to warm overall we will still see short-term extremes of both hot and cold weather – but cold extremes are likely to become fewer and further between.

Climate change will bring us more rain. A warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture so more intense rainfall is expected to become an increasing feature of UK winters, along with a higher risk of flooding.

The government has unveiled a new pledge to cut the list of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for NHS treatment in England by nearly half a million over the next year.

The plan, to be announced on Monday, will expand access to Community Diagnostic Centres and surgical hubs, alongside reforms designed to enhance patient choice and tackle inefficiencies.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it would create millions more appointments and "deliver on our promise to end the backlogs".

The British Medical Association (BMA) has welcomed the plan but was sceptical about whether it could be delivered.

The government has billed the plan as an important milestone in a broader effort to reduce the number of people enduring long waits for appointments, procedures and surgeries.

Sir Keir added: "Greater choice and convenience for patients. Staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to."

A key Labour election pledge, now included in the government's six main priorities, is for 92% of patients to begin treatment or be given the all-clear within 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.

This has been an official NHS target for some time, but has not been met since 2015. Currently, only 59% of patients meet the 18-week target, with three million people waiting longer.

The latest promise is to reach 65% by March 2026, which, according to the government, would reduce the backlog by more than 450,000.

A network of Community Diagnostic Centres, which provide appointments such as scans and endoscopies in local neighbourhoods, will extend their opening hours to 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

The aim is to get patients treated more quickly, closer to home and without relying on hospitals. Officials say these centres will provide up to half a million extra appointments each year.

GPs will also be able, where appropriate, to refer patients directly to these centres without requiring a prior consultation with a senior doctor.

More surgical hubs will be created to focus on common, less complex procedures, such as cataract surgeries and some orthopaedic work. These hubs are ring-fenced from other parts of the hospital to ensure operating theatre time is not lost if there are emergency cases.

The new plan says that one million unnecessary appointments per year will be freed up for patients who need them. This will be made possible by abolishing automatic review appointments after treatment and only offering them to patients who request them.

Officials say the extra appointments created will be in addition to what was promised by Labour before the election. That pledge was for 40,000 more appointments per week, or two million a year, to be created within the first year.

This compares with a normal annual total of more than 100 million appointments. Ministers have confirmed that work on this pledge began soon after the election.

Plans for patients to use the NHS App to monitor and book consultations and test results, with greater control over where they are treated, have already been announced. The goal is to make the system more efficient and reduce the number of missed appointments.

NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said: "The radical reforms in this plan will not only allow us to deliver millions more tests, appointments, and operations, but do things differently too – boosting convenience and putting more power in the hands of patients, especially through the NHS app."

The overall waiting list for NHS appointments, procedures, and surgeries in England stands at just under 7.5 million.

No target level has been set in the plan, but ministers say that the waiting list will inevitably fall as measures to meet the 18-week benchmark take effect.

The funding for NHS England has been set for the upcoming year, but the additional money needed to support extra activity in hospitals will be outlined in the government's spending review later this year.

Professor Phil Banfield, chair of the BMA Council, expressed doubt over whether the plan could be delivered.

"Doctors have been just as frustrated as their patients by the lack of facilities to deliver care and want to bring waiting lists down," he said.

"But the reality is that without the workforce to meet constantly rising demand, we will not see the progress we all hope for."

Ed Argar, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, said it was the Conservatives who "revolutionised" the diagnostic process by rolling out 160 Community Diagnostic Centres.

He said the government's plan is "another announcement that makes clear after 14 years in opposition, the Labour Party have no new ideas of their own for the NHS – despite promising change".

"Patients cannot wait for more dither and delay from the government who promised so much, and so far have delivered so little," he said.

Liberal Democrat MP and health spokesperson Helen Morgan said the plan for waiting lists could risk "putting hip replacements over heart attacks", unless the "crises" in emergency and social care were addressed.

A former HMP Wandsworth prison officer who was filmed having sex with an inmate has been jailed for 15 months.

Linda De Sousa Abreu was identified by senior prison staff after the clip was shared online and quickly went viral.

Judge Martin Edmunds KC said Abreu compromised her role as a prison officer, undermined discipline in the prison and put officers at increased risk.

Abreu, who was arrested at Heathrow Airport before attempting to board a flight to Madrid with her father, previously pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office.

The court was also told that a further recording of her performing a sex act with the same inmate was found on her prison-issue body-worn camera - and Abreu had admitted to having sex with that prisoner on an additional occasion.

The judge said the video which went viral was therefore not isolated and was part of repeated behaviour.

Isleworth Crown Court heard a partial written statement from the governor of Wandsworth Prison, Andrew Davy, in which he said Abreu's actions had taken "less than a day" to undo the many years of work on behalf of female staff in all-male prisons.

He said many female staff at Wandsworth report an increase in being "hit-on" by prisoners and are now "considered fair game".

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A taxi driver whose social media posts were a "catalyst" for riots which broke out after three girls were stabbed at a dance class in Southport has been jailed seven and a half years.

Andrew McIntyre, 39, set up a Telegram channel called "Southport Wake Up" in the immediate aftermath of the knife attack in the Merseyside town on 29 July last year, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, said the case involved a "sinister aspect" of violence which took place in parts of the UK last summer.

McIntyre, of Rufford, near Ormskirk, Lancashire, had admitted encouraging violent disorder and possession of a knife in an earlier hearing.

The Southport Wake Up channel was identified by the group Hope Not Hate as a "catalyst for and origin of a series of posts" concerning incidents of violence, Mr Gibson said.

The court heard McIntyre shared content from a site called Tommy Robinson/Britain First/For Britain about a protest in Southport on 30 July.

He also posted a map after adding: "Mosque at the top of Hart St."

In a later post he wrote: "Rise Up English Lads. 8pm tomorrow St Luke's Rd Southport."

Hours before violence broke out in Southport on 30 July he posted a "clear threat to police", writing: "Message to All...Stand in our way, even if you're just doing your job...prepare to fall."

The day after the disorder, McIntyre posted: "Well done last night lads, to all you heavy hitters.

"Are you ready for Round 2???... Liverpool Mosque, West Derby Road, Friday 8pm."

Mein Kampf

McIntyre was working as a taxi driver when he was intercepted and arrested by police in Liverpool on 8 August, Mr Gibson said.

A knife was found hidden in the boot of his car and when his home was searched officers found weapons and a copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf, the court heard.

The defendant followed proceedings on a videolink from HMP Liverpool, where he has been remanded in custody, while his parents looked on from the public gallery of the courtroom.

Julian Nutter, defending, said: "His parents are horrified that he is in this predicament.

"He is a man of previous good character and has never come to the attention of the police before."

Among character references were letters to Judge Neil Flewitt KC from McIntyre's parents and a family friend, the court heard.

Mr Nutter said: "Those who have spoken on his behalf describe somebody who is very different from what we have heard from the prosecution about him."

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Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq has referred herself to the PM's standards adviser after controversy over her links to her aunt's political movement in Bangladesh.

It comes after the minister was named last month in an investigation into claims her family embezzled infrastructure funding in the country.

Siddiq had faced growing calls for an investigation after reports in recent days she had lived in London properties linked to allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as Bangladeshi prime minister in August.

In her letter to Sir Laurie Magnus, who polices standards among government ministers, she said: "I am clear that I have done nothing wrong."

In the letter sent on Monday, she wrote: "In recent weeks I have been the subject of media reporting, much of it inaccurate, about my financial affairs and my family's links to the former government of Bangladesh."

She said she had done nothing wrong, adding: "However, for the avoidance of doubt, I would like you to independently establish the facts about these matters.

"I will obviously ensure you have all the information you need to do this."

Sir Laurie, appointed in 2022, is responsible for advising Sir Keir Starmer on whether ministers are complying with government conduct rules.

These include stipulations about registering and declaring their financial interests, as well as broader guidelines on how they should behave as holders of public office.

News of her request was revealed by Sir Keir during a press conference on healthcare reform earlier.

The prime minister told reporters he had confidence in his minister, who as Economic Secretary to the Treasury is responsible for tackling economic crime, money laundering and illicit finance.

He added she had "acted entirely properly" by referring herself for investigation.

It is understood Siddiq has cancelled plans to join a government delegation to China this week, with a Labour source adding she wanted to be in the UK so she is "available to assist" Sir Laurie.

Bangladesh probe

The decision to write to the standards adviser comes after reports she had lived in properties linked to political supporters of her aunt's government.

Last month Siddiq was named in an investigation into claims Sheikh Hasina and her family embezzled up to £3.9bn from infrastructure spending in Bangladesh.

The investigation is based on a series of allegations made by Bobby Hajjaj, a senior political opponent of Hasina.

Court documents seen by the BBC show Hajjaj has accused Siddiq of helping to broker a deal with Russia in 2013 that overinflated the price of a new nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.

It is claimed that the deal inflated the price of the plant by £1bn, according to the documents - 30% of which was allegedly distributed to Siddiq and other family members via a complex network of banks and overseas companies.

A source close to Siddiq has previously described the allegations as "trumped up" and designed to damage her aunt, while Downing Street has said Siddiq denies any involvement in the claims accusing her of involvement in embezzlement.

Siddiq was elected MP for Hampstead and Highgate in 2015, the north London constituency neighbouring Sir Keir's seat of Holborn and St Pancras.

Hasina, who was in charge of Bangladesh for more than 20 years, was seen as an autocrat whose government ruthlessly clamped down on dissent.

Since fleeing the country Hasina has been accused of multiple crimes by the new Bangladeshi government.

Conservative shadow minister Matt Vickers said there were "clear questions" for Ms Siddiq to answer about allegations made about her.

"She must be held to the same standards as other ministers in his government, indications so far show that that may not be the case," he added.

Exactly 10 years after the jihadist gun-attack that killed most of its editorial staff, France's Charlie Hebdo has put out a special issue to show its cause is still kicking.

Things changed for France on 7 January 2015, marking in bloodshed the end of all wilful naivety about the threat of militant Islamism.

Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi burst into a meeting at the Paris office of the satirical weekly, murdering its star cartoonists Cabu, Wolinski, Charb and Tignous.

Overall, 12 people were killed by the brothers, including a Muslim policeman on duty outside. Two days later they were cornered and shot dead by police at a sign-making business near Charles-de-Gaulle airport.

That same day saw Amedy Coulibaly – a one-time prison associate of Cherif – kill four Jews in a synchronised hostage-taking at a supermarket in eastern Paris. Coulibaly – who was then shot dead by police – had killed a policewoman the day before.

A decade on, Charlie Hebdo continues to bring out a weekly edition and has a circulation (print and online combined) of around 50,000.

It does so from an office whose whereabouts are kept secret, and with staff who are protected by bodyguards.

But in an editorial in Tuesday's memorial edition, the paper's main shareholder said its spirit of ribald anti-religious irreverence was still very much alive.

"The desire to laugh will never disappear," said Laurent Saurisseau – also known as Riss – a cartoonist who survived the 7 January attack with a bullet in the shoulder.

"Satire has one virtue that has got us through these tragic years – optimism. If people want to laugh, it is because they want to live.

"Laughter, irony and caricature are all manifestations of optimism," he wrote.

• Charlie Hebdo attack: Three days of terror
• Charlie Hebdo and its place in French journalism
• French terror attacks: Victim obituaries
• Paris attacks: 'I am not Charlie'

Also in the 32-page special are the 40 winning entries in a cartoon competition on the theme of "Laughing at God".

One contains the image of a cartoonist asking himself: "Is it okay to draw a picture of a man drawing a picture of a man drawing a picture of Muhammed?"

The Charlie Hebdo and Hypercacher attacks appear now as the overture to a grim and deadly period in modern France, during which – for a time – fear of jihadist terrorism became part of daily life.

In November 2015, there followed gun attacks at the Bataclan theatre and nearby bars in Paris. In the following July, 86 people were killed on the promenade in Nice.

Some 300 French people have died in Islamist attacks in the last decade.

Today the frequency has fallen sharply, and the defeat of the Islamic State group means there is no longer a support base in the Middle East.

But the killer individual, self-radicalised over the Internet, remains a constant threat in France as elsewhere.

The original pretext for the Charlie Hebdo murders – caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad – are now strictly off-limits to publications everywhere.

In 2020, a French teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded outside his school by a jihadist after he showed one of the Charlie cartoons in a discussion over freedom of speech.

And this week the trial opens in Paris of a Pakistani man who – a short time before Paty's murder – seriously injured two people with a butcher's cleaver at the Paris offices he thought were still being used by Charlie-Hebdo (in fact they had long since moved).

So as with every anniversary since 2015, the question once again being asked in France is: what - if anything - has changed? And what - if anything - survives of the great outpouring of international support, whose clarion call in the days after the murders was Je suis Charlie?

That was when a march of two million people through the centre of Paris was joined by heads of state and government from countries all over the world at the invitation of then President François Hollande.

Today, pessimists say the battle is over and lost. The chances of a humorous newspaper ever taking up the cudgel against Islam – in the way that Charlie Hebdo used regularly and scabrously to do against Christianity and Judaism – are zero.

Worse, for these people, is that parts of the political left in France are also now clearly distancing themselves from Charlie Hebdo, accusing it of becoming overly anti-Islam and adopting positions from the far-right.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, who leads the France Unbowed party, has accused the weekly of being a "bag-carrier for (right-wing magazine) Valeurs Actuels", and the Greens' Sandrine Rousseau said Charlie Hebdo was "misogynistic and at times racist".

This has in turn led to accusations aimed at the far-left that it has betrayed the free-speech spirit of Je suis Charlie in order to curry electoral support among French Muslims.

But speaking in the run-up to the anniversary, Riss – who counted the dead among his greatest friends and says he does not go through a day without reliving the moment of the attack – refused to renounce hope.

"I think [the Charlie spirit] is anchored more deeply in society than one might think. When you talk to people, you can see it's very much alive. It's a mistake to think it's all disappeared.

"It is part of our collective memory."

The prime minister has attacked politicians and activists "spreading lies and misinformation" over grooming gangs.

It comes after multi-billionaire Elon Musk accused Sir Keir Starmer of being "complicit in the rape of Britain" during his tenure as director of public prosecutions (DPP) for failing to tackle grooming gangs.

Senior Conservatives and Reform UK MPs have also spent the week calling for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation.

But Sir Keir said: "Those who are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they're interested in themselves."

He said the online debate had "crossed a line", resulting in threats against MPs, including Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.

Sir Keir went on to accuse the Tories of "jumping on a bandwagon" to gain attention.

Conservative MPs were "amplifying what the far-right is saying" on child sexual abuse after failing to act "for 14 long years", he added.

Describing child sexual exploitation as "utterly sickening", Sir Keir defended his record in office as DPP - saying he tackled the issue "head on".

Sir Keir did not name any of those he thought were spreading lies, but his comments followed a series of questions about Musk.

Over the past week, the tech-entrepreneur has attacked the Labour government over the issue, using his platform on his social media site X.

Musk accused Philips of being a "rape genocide apologist" and calling for her and Sir Keir be jailed.

On Monday, Musk started a poll asking X users to vote on whether "America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government".

A six-month-old baby has died following a crash in a multi-storey car park in Tenby, police said.

Sophia Kelemen, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, was taken to hospital following the collision in Pembrokeshire on Thursday, 2 January but died the following day.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with her family at this difficult time. They are being supported by specially trained officers."

Flaviu Naghi, 33, from Wigan, is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on 7 February charged with causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a license and without insurance.

A police spokesperson said he was also arrested on suspicion of drink driving and drug driving.

The incident happened on the ground floor of a multi-storey car park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, police said.

They urged people not to speculate on the circumstances due to the live investigation underway.

RuPaul has said his heart is "broken" after the death of James Lee Williams, better known as drag queen The Vivienne.

"I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne, an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being," he wrote on Instagram.

The Vivienne, who was 32 and won the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2019, died over the weekend.

Tributes have been pouring in to the drag star on social media, with the show saying they were "deeply saddened" by the news.

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Tackling the NHS backlog is one of the government's key six missions - and now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says he has the plan to end it.

But what's remarkable from this new year waiting list announcement is just how few levers ministers seem to have to pull.

Much of this plan is about building on work that is already under way in England – and there are reasons why these policies have only had limited impact so far.

More surgical and diagnostic hubs are being promised in the community – this builds on a network that started being rolled out before the pandemic.

They allow more care to be provided outside of hospitals and the government wants to see not just more of them but longer opening hours too. But, of course, the key limiting factor is having the staff available to deliver the treatment – something the British Medical Association is pointing out.

Sir Keir also wants to make it easier for patients to exercise choice over where they go for treatment – the idea is that this allows them to shop around and go where waiting lists are shortest.

This policy dates back even further as it was introduced by the Blair government and subsequently championed by the Tories when they were in power. Despite that only around a quarter of patients report being offered a choice. And even if this was to change, questions remain about how many patients will be prepared to travel to get treatment elsewhere.

Another initiative, which has been pursued for more than two decades, is getting the independent sector to ease the burden on the NHS. The private sector says it has capacity to see 30% more NHS patients than it currently does.

But this policy comes with costs – the private sector tends to only take on the most straightforward procedures, which can deprive NHS hospitals of vital income as well as doctors and nurses of vital training opportunities.

Hitting 18-week target a key goal

This is not to say that the backlog will not be reduced. It would be a surprise if it did not start to fall in the coming months – most forecasts have pinpointed this spring as the potential turning point.

But the ultimate goal of getting the NHS back to hitting the 18-week target by the end of this parliament still remains a big ask.

That would mean 92% of patients being seen within 18 weeks – something that has not been achieved since 2015. Currently fewer than 60% are.

The Blair government made big strides in the early 2000s, but that was underpinned by significant increases in the NHS budget – between 6-7% a year on top of inflation.

Increases on that scale seem very unlikely given the state of public finances – although we will have to wait until the spring for the spending review to find out what budget will be set aside for the NHS in the coming years.

Another concern, being voiced by some, is that with so much emphasis placed on waiting lists there is a risk other areas may end up neglected as health chiefs focus so much of their attention on this.

"The 18-week target should not be taken as the sole measure of how the NHS is faring," says Sarah Woolnough, head of the King's Fund think tank. "Equally important to people are how long they are waiting for a GP appointment or an ambulance, for mental health care and other services."

In short, any progress that is made on the waiting list could easily get lost if the wheels come off elsewhere.