FBI agents searched the home and office of Donald Trump's ex-national security adviser John Bolton on Friday, as part of an apparent investigation into the handling of classified information.

The high-profile Republican aide has been a vocal critic of Trump since quitting his first administration in 2019, and was previously accused by the White House of misusing classified information in his 2020 account of working with the president.

The FBI has not commented in detail but sources familiar with the search told CBS News it was related in part to classified documents.

Bolton - who is yet to comment on the investigation - has not been detained and no criminal charges have been filed.

Asked by reporters what the investigation was about, Trump said he did not "want to get involved" in the matter, but referred to Bolton as a "sleazebag". The president said he had not directly ordered the searches.

In an interview with NBC News, Vice President JD Vance said classified documents are "certainly part of [the investigation]" and also alluded to "broad concern" about Bolton, without offering further detail.

He said the FBI would only bring a case against Bolton if "they determine that he has broken the law" and said the investigation was not politically motivated, as Democratic politicians have claimed.

Police vehicles and FBI personnel were seen at Bolton's home in the Washington DC suburb of Bethesda, Maryland on Friday morning, some of whom were seen taking boxes inside the property.

In a statement sent to CBS, the FBI said it was conducting "authorised activity in the area".

FBI agents were also seen at Bolton's office in Washington DC.

Bolton returned to his Maryland home on Friday afternoon but did not speak to reporters outside.

In 2020, Bolton authored The Room Where it Happened, a memoir recounting his time working in the first Trump administration between 2018 and 2019, which was fiercely critical of the president.

In it, he wrote that "a mountain of facts demonstrates that Trump is unfit to be president".

The justice department accused Bolton of a "flagrant breach" of an agreement to not disclose classified matters, but the lawsuit was dropped in June 2021, by which time Joe Biden was president.

Around the time the searches began, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X "no one is above the law". The post did not refer to Bolton specifically.

Attorney General Pam Bondi shared the post and added: "America's safety isn't negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always."

Bolton - who served as George W Bush's UN ambassador - had his Secret Service protection stripped by the Trump administration in January, along with several other former officials who have clashed with the president.

Bolton has also publicly questioned the administration's handling of the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump has been highly critical of Bolton in public, accusing him of pushing for US military intervention overseas during his time as national security adviser.

Other Trump adversaries - including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic California Senator Adam Schiff - have also been subjected to investigations since he returned to office.

Gaza City and its surrounding area is now experiencing famine, a UN-backed body of food security experts has confirmed.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which is used by governments and international bodies to identify hunger levels around the world, has raised its classification to Phase 5 - the highest and most severe.

It says that over half a million people across the Gaza Strip are facing "catastrophic" conditions characterised by "starvation, destitution and death".

Israel said the IPC report was based on "Hamas lies". It continues to restrict the amount of aid entering Gaza and has previously denied there is starvation in the territory.

This denial is in direct contradiction to what more than 100 humanitarian groups, witnesses on the ground, and multiple UN bodies have said.

The IPC report describes the famine as "entirely man-made" and says that an "immediate, at-scale response" is needed or there will be an "unacceptable escalation" in famine-related deaths.

It predicts that between mid-August and the end of September, famine will expand across the strip to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.

During this period, almost a third of the population - nearly 641,000 people - are expected to face "catastrophic conditions" in IPC Phase 5, while the number of people to face "emergency" conditions in IPC Phase 4 will likely increase to 1.14 million - or 58% of the population.

The report also projects that up to June 2026, malnutrition will "threaten" the lives of 132,000 children aged under five.

Since the start of the war, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has reported that 271 people have died of "famine and malnutrition" - including 112 children.

The IPC cannot officially declare famine - that is usually done by governments or the United Nations.

In response to the report, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the famine was entirely preventable, saying food could not get through to the Palestinian territory "because of systematic obstruction by Israel".

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: "Just when it seems there are no words left to describe the living hell in Gaza, a new one has been added: 'famine'."

He described it as "not a mystery," but rather "a man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself".

He added that Israel has "unequivocal obligations under international law - including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population".

Phillipe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), said: "This is starvation by design & man-made by the Government of Israel".

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk described the famine as "the direct result of actions taken by the Israeli Government", which has "unlawfully restricted" the entry of aid.

In recent months, Israel has come under widespread international condemnation for the aid situation in the Gaza Strip.

Last month, after weeks of mounting pressure, the Israeli military said it had airdropped humanitarian aid into Gaza - a move that was criticised at the time by aid agencies as a "grotesque distraction".

Other aid drops have since taken place - but warnings have been issued about their safety, with reports that civilians were hit and killed by the falling pallets.

Earlier this week, BBC Verify found 10 separate occasions where aid was dropped into an area that the Israeli military has explicitly warned people not to enter.

In addition to airdrops, Israel said it would designate humanitarian corridors for UN convoys. However, on Tuesday the UN warned that the "trickle of aid" entering Gaza was insufficient to "avert widespread starvation".

Cogat, the Israeli military body in charge of aid, says roughly 300 aid trucks are entering daily, but the UN says 600 trucks of supplies a day are needed.

The IPC report comes as Israel prepares to launch a new military offensive aimed at occupying Gaza City.

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

At least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; and the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed.

Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky has accused Russia of "doing everything it can" to prevent a meeting with Vladimir Putin to try to end the war.

US President Donald Trump has sought to bring the two leaders together, but he said on Friday "that's like oil and vinegar... they don't get along too well".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Putin was ready to meet Ukraine's leader "when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all", accusing Zelensky of saying "no to everything".

After an intensive week of diplomacy, in which Trump first met Putin in Alaska and then Zelensky with European leaders in Washington, the US president said the war was turning out to be the most difficult he had tried to stop.

Trump said after a call with the Russian leader on Monday that he had begun arrangements for a Putin-Zelensky summit that he would join afterwards.

Ukraine's president has backed the move, but he has sought security guarantees from Western allies to prevent any future Russian attack in the event of a peace deal: "Ukraine, unlike Russia, is not afraid of any meetings between leaders."

On a visit to Kyiv, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said Trump was aiming to "break the deadlock" and the alliance was working on robust security guarantees with the US and Europe to ensure Putin "will never ever try to attack Ukraine again".

• Proposed Ukraine land concessions are Putin trap, warns EU top diplomat
• If a Putin-Zelensky summit takes place, where could it be?

Speaking alongside Rutte, Zelensky said he wanted Ukraine's security guarantees to reflect Nato's Article 5, which considers an attack on one member of the alliance an attack against all Nato members.

"This is the beginning of a big undertaking, and it is not easy, because guarantees consist of what our partners can give Ukraine, as well as what the Ukrainian army should be like, and where we can find opportunities for the army to maintain its strength," Zelensky said.

Rutte said the alliance was working with Ukraine to define the guarantees, explaining that they would focus on making Ukraine's military as strong as possible and involve Western security commitments. It was "too early to exactly say what will be the outcome", he added.

Russia's foreign minister appeared to dent hopes of any potential summit, telling NBC News that "there is no meeting planned".

Sergei Lavrov said Russia had agreed to show flexibility on a number of issues raised by Trump at the US-Russia summit in Alaska last week.

He went on to accuse Ukraine of not showing the same flexibility in subsequent talks in Washington, blaming Ukraine for hindering progress toward a peace deal.

Lavrov said it was "very clear to everybody that there are several principles which Washington believes must be accepted".

He said this included no Nato membership for Ukraine and discussions of territorial issues: "Zelensky said no to everything," Lavrov said.

He was speaking after EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told the BBC that Putin was seeking territorial concessions from Ukraine that were a "trap that Putin wants us to walk into".

"We are forgetting that Russia has not made one single concession and they are the ones who are the aggressor here," Kallas said.

Despite latest efforts to broker a peace deal, Russia launched one of its heaviest attacks on Ukraine in weeks on Thursday, launching 574 drone and 40 missiles in one night.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone blew up an oil pumping station in the Russian region of Bryansk, halting oil deliveries along the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia - the third attack on the pipeline in nine days.

Hungary and Slovakia are largely dependent on the Druzbha pipeline for their oil supplies, and Budapest says it could take at least five days before operations resume. The two EU member states have complained to the European Commission.

The European Union sought to cut Russia's energy supplies after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and aims to phase out Russian oil and gas by the end of 2027.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote to President Trump to complain about the attack on the pipeline, and his officials posted Trump's handwritten response.

"Viktor - I do not like hearing this - I am very angry about it. Tell Slovakia."

"You are my great friend," he added.

Postal services around the world are pausing deliveries to the US over confusion around new import taxes that must be paid on parcels from the end of the month.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month ending the global import tax exemption on low-value parcels, which takes effect from 29 August.

While gifts worth less than $100 will remain duty-free, the changes mean all other packages will face the same tariff rate as other goods from their country of origin.

Postal services, including Royal Mail and Germany's DHL, said they would suspend deliveries until they had proper systems in place to deal with the new rules.

Royal Mail said it was withdrawing its current US export services, but added it hoped to have a new system up and running within two days to allow it to comply with the new rules before the new rules kick in.

"Royal Mail is working closely with the US authorities and international partners to manage the impact of these changes which will affect everyone who sends goods to the USA," the company said.

The US had a so-called de minimis exemption on packages worth up to $800, which allowed consumers to buy cheap clothing and household goods from sites such as Shein and Temu without paying import duties.

But the duty-free rule ended on Chinese goods ended on 2 May, and is now being extended to the rest of the word.

The White House said ending the duty-free exemption would combat "escalating deceptive shipping practices, illegal material, and duty circumvention", claiming some shippers had "abused" the exemption to send illicit drugs into the US.

The Trump administration said de minimis shipments had skyrocketed from 115 million in the 2023/24 financial year, to 309 million by 30 June this year.

Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany said it was temporarily suspending parcel delivery for business customers to the US from Saturday, as "key questions remain unresolved" about how duties would be paid, and by whom.

DHL sad it was "closely monitoring the further developments" and remained in contact with US authorities, and said shipping via its DHL Express services "remains possible".

"The company's goal is to resume postal goods shipping to the US as quickly as possible," it said.

Earlier this week PostNord announced it was also suspending services as the US authorities only provided details about the required changes on 15 August.

"This decision is unfortunate but necessary to ensure full compliance of the newly implemented rules," said Bjorn Bergman, PostNord's head of group brand and communication.

In Trump's "big beautiful bill", passed by Congress on 3 July, the change to de minimis was due to come into effect on 1 July 2027, but a recent executive order sped up the process by two years.

The new rule does not affect personal items Americans carry with them from foreign travel valued at $200 or less and it does not affect gifts valued at $100 or less.

Girls are more likely to pass their GCSEs than boys.

This year, like every year, that remained the case - with 70.5% of girls' grades across England, Wales and Northern Ireland at 4/C or above, compared to 64.3% of boys'.

But this year the girls' pass rate dropped, while boys' rose very slightly.

The result? The gap between the two was its narrowest on record.

Meanwhile, boys have taken the lead in getting top marks at A-level.

It's prompted warnings that there's something odd happening with girls, which needs to be addressed before their grades slip further and it's "too late".

There has been a lot of focus on boys' attainment recently. The Netflix series Adolescence sparked renewed interest in their academic struggles and fears they are "being left behind".

MPs have honed it on it, and the Department for Education (DfE) in England says it wants to ensure that "white working-class pupils - especially boys - are supported to thrive".

Natalie Perera, chief executive of the Education Policy Institute (EPI) think tank, said: "It doesn't need to be an either or with girls and boys, we should be looking at what's driving low attainment for both."

But she added: "But we do need to start looking at what's driving the decline in girls attainment before it gets too late."

EPI analysis suggests girls' performance has been "declining in absolute terms" since the Covid pandemic, and is linked to "worrying trends around girls' wellbeing" such as worsening mental health, a lack of sleep and social media use.

EPI points to NHS data from 2023, which suggests a higher percentage of girls and women aged between 17 and 19 in England had a "probable" mental health disorder, compared to boys and men.

"You can draw a reasonable hypothesis, which suggests that if girls aren't getting enough sleep, if they're experiencing that their anxiety or even things like eating disorders, that is likely to affect their attendance, how well they're able to concentrate in school and how well they're able to concentrate and perform on exam day," said Ms Perera.

"If their attainment continues to decline and that follows through to A-levels and participation in university, then that could have an effect on both labour market participation and pay disparity as well, or pay equality."

The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school in England (missing 10% or more) has grown for both boys and girls since the pandemic - but there's been a greater rise among girls.

Girls are now more likely to be persistently absent. According to DfE figures 21.9% of girls were persistently absent from secondary schools last year, compared to 20.3% of boys.

An international study in March suggested that girls lagged further behind boys in maths and science than they had in 2020.

Dr Jennie Golding, UCL professor and co-author of the report, said the improvement in boys' GCSE results this year could be seen as a "good news story", particularly as these students were "significantly impacted by Covid, and had a rubbish experience of transfer to secondary school".

But she said challenges that many students face, such as social media use, disproportionately affected girls.

"We know that all sorts of aspects of emotional wellbeing impact academic performance - they are all interrelated," she said.

She called for greater emphasis on "belonging and emotional security" to help girls in schools.

"Start measuring those in your Ofsted inspections, and you very quickly turn around priorities in schools," she said.

Girlguiding, which works with more than 300,000 girls between the ages of four and 18, is especially worried about the impact of misogyny on girls.

"Mounting societal pressures and misogyny are having a devastating impact on girls, their mental wellbeing and confidence," said acting chief executive Amanda Azeez.

"Girls as young as seven say they feel lonely with no one to talk to which is also adversely impacting their confidence. Girlguiding is urging schools to listen to girls about their experiences of misogyny and how it impacts their learning and wellbeing."

Girls are also more likely to get top grades (7/A and above) at GCSE than boys. That gap reached its widest in 2021, the second year that exams were cancelled and grades were based on teachers' assessments. It has shrunk since.

In 2021, England's exams regulator Ofqual looked into whether there was evidence of "systematic divergence between teacher-based results and test-based results". It found gender bias was "mixed" but there was "a slightly bias in favour of girls".

Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College leaders and former head teachers, said more research was needed into why girls were falling behind.

He hoped the curriculum review, due this autumn, would "look at how best we can move assessment methods forward so that every student has the ability and the opportunity to be assessed in a way that enables them to best show all their greatest attributes".

The UK government has agreed to pay compensation to thousands of Kenyans who were affected by a fire caused by a British military training exercise four years ago.

The out-of-court settlement follows a lengthy legal battle in which 7,723 claimants said they had lost property and suffered health complications because of the 2021 fire in the Lolldaiga conservancy in Kenya's Rift Valley.

A spokesperson from the British High Commission in Nairobi said the fire was "extremely regrettable" and that the UK had devoted "considerable time, effort and resource" to resolve claims.

The British government has not confirmed how much was paid out, but the lawyer in the case told the BBC it was £2.9 million.

Kevin Kubai called it the "best possible outcome" despite complaints from his clients that the sums they received were much too small to compensate their losses.

He said the alternative "would have been to continue litigation for another period of nearly seven years to be able to prove these cases on a case-by-case analysis", which would be difficult because much of the evidence had been lost after four years.

Mr Kubai acknowledged that his clients did not have medical records backing up their claims of health damage due to smoke inhalation from the Lolldaiga fire, and that they were also exposed to smoke because they used firewood for cooking.

The UK Ministry of Defence said in 2022 that the fire was likely caused by a camp stove knocked over during the training exercise in the conservancy. It found that around 7,000 acres of private land were damaged, but no community land was directly affected.

The legal action argued there had been environmental damage in surrounding communities because of the smoke, and the destruction of property because of stampeding wild animals.

The British government has helped the conservancy with restoration of the burnt area and the military exercises still take place there.

The Lolldaiga conservancy - about 49,000 acres of hilly bushland with a backdrop of the ice-capped Mount Kenya - is part of the Laikipia plateau, where hundreds of thousands of acres were seized by the British during the colonial era, leading to land disputes which continue to this day.

It is just 70km (45 miles) from the Lewa conservancy, where the Prince of Wales proposed to Kate Middleton in November 2010.

A few kilometres to the south are the newly-refurbished Nyati Barracks, a £70 million facility which is part of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk).

It hosts thousands of British troops every year for massive exercises in locations such as Lolldaiga, which offers ideal conditions for harsh environment training.

BATUK contributes tens of millions of pounds to the Kenyan economy annually.

But over the years controversy surrounding the behaviour of some of the soldiers has attracted media attention, including allegations of fatal hit-and-runs, murder and sexual exploitation of Kenyan women.

Pathrycia Mendonça never has to worry about jet lag.

The 26-year-old has just jetted into London, where she's about to play 10 nights at Wembley Stadium with Coldplay as part of Venezuela's Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.

The flight took 12 hours and meant leaving her beloved 10-month-old daughter at home with her mother – but the violinist is bursting with energy as she arrives for rehearsals at the iconic Air Studios in north London.

That's probably because, as a 12-year-old student in Venezuela, she endured long, overnight bus journeys just to attend her lessons in Caracas.

"I am from Barquisimeto, which is a small town, and it is eight hours on the bus, because it's so slow," she explains.

"So when I started my classes, I would leave Barquisimeto at midnight to arrive in Caracas at dawn.

"I'd go to my classes then, at midday, I'd go back to my city with my mum. She was always with me, because I was a child. And I'd do it every week.

"For me, that was the key to being part of the orchestra here, now."

In other words, sleep deprivation means nothing to her.

Speaking to Mendonça, you'd be forgiven for feeling inadequate. As well as her position in the world-famous orchestra, she is also a violin teacher, a mother and a chef, and recently completed a Master's degree in music.

But she wouldn't be anywhere else in the world for the next three weeks.

"I don't know if I can say this, but I'm a crazy fan of Coldplay, so when they said, 'Do you want to come and play?' I was like, 'No way!'" she laughs, sheepishly.

"When I listen to the band in my house, I always dreamt about playing Viva La Vida. It's so iconic, and it has strings all the way through. So this is a dream that came true. Totally a dream."

Like her fellow players in the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, Mendonça is a beneficiary of Venezuela's El Sistema programme, which offers free music education throughout the country.

It was established in 1975 by visionary musician José Antonio Abreu, who saw it as an antidote to the crime and poverty that gripped the nation.

Those problems persist despite the country's vast oil wealth – but El Sistema ("the system") has earned Venezuela's musicians a place on the world stage.

To the players, it's about more than learning an instrument.

"El Sistema teaches you about the discipline of the community," says Humberto Jiminez, a violinist who also made weekly six-hour journeys to Caracas for his studies.

"You have to learn when to be part of the team, and when to be a leader – and how to integrate all those differences into one intention."

"It gave me everything," adds Mendonça. "My whole life, I think. It gives me motivation."

El Sistema's most famous graduate is Gustavo Dudamel, a seven-time Grammy winner who has been called "the happiest conductor in America" and "the closest thing to a rock star" in the world of classical music.

The 44-year-old is currently musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and artistic director of the Simón Bolívar Orchestra. Next year, he will become the first Latin American to lead the New York Philharmonic, the oldest symphony orchestra in the US.

But for the next three weeks, he's in London too – summoned by Chris Martin to open every night of Coldplay's record-breaking residency at Wembley Stadium.

"Chris is very into social action through music," says Dudamel. "When he plays music, his will is to help, to heal and to transform - and that connects with our values.

"I think he wanted to give something to the orchestra. A gift, a very generous gift, of having all of us together, celebrating the power of music."

Martin first met Dudamel in 2007, after the Simón Bolívar Orchestra made their BBC Proms debut playing Mambo from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story.

Their appearance was a sensation – combining sheer technical skill with a thrilling joie de vivre, as they span their double basses, twirled their trumpets and clattered their cowbells, all while clad in Venezuelan-flag jackets.

Not long afterwards, Martin invited the conductor to be part of Coldplay's 2016 Super Bowl half-time show, and their friendship was sealed. (Martin's mum, also a fan, frequently attends the conductor's rehearsals).

Breaking borders

Their partnership fits perfectly with Dudamel's urge to push the boundaries of classical music.

Earlier this year, he took the LA Philharmonic to the Coachella Music Festival, playing Wagner and Beethoven in a 50-minute set that also included guest stars such as Dave Grohl, Cynthia Erivo and LL Cool J.

"You think, 'Maybe this is something crazy', but it was the most natural thing," he says, recalling the way the audience chanted the opening "da-da-da-dum" of Beethoven's 5th like it was the riff from Seven Nation Army.

"We live in a world of walls and borders - and that happens with music, too," says Dudamel. "But it's been one of my goals to break that down.

"I think young people are hungry for culture and for us, in the orchestra, [Coachella] was a historical moment of embracing another audience and that audience connecting with what we do."

He's hopeful the Wembley shows – where the orchestra will again play Beethoven's 5th, alongside John Williams' Star Wars theme and Vivaldi's Spring – will have the same effect.

"I want the audience to walk away embraced by love," he says.

"It's not naïve to say we're living in a crisis of empathy. Music is not about that. Music is about making harmony together. It's the best example of how to behave as a community."

The conductor's optimism is infectious. As he leads the orchestra in rehearsals at London's Air Studios, they whoop and cheer, enjoying themselves in a way that orchestras rarely do.

It's proof of El Sistema's importance, as it turns 50 – an anniversary that's being marked with a mini-residency at London's Barbican, and a new album, called Odyssey, that mixes Latin American traditions with orchestral music.

But the organisation has come in for criticism. Some have accused it of being a political organisation, pointing out that it sits under the office of president Nicolás Maduro – who has repeatedly been accused of repressing opposition groups and silencing dissent, including with the use of violence.

Dudamel has criticised Maduro, calling for an end to "bloodshed" after an 18-year-old musician was killed at a protest in Caracas. But some have called for him to go further, saying his continued involvement with El Sistema makes him the president's "puppet and henchman".

But the conductor says his priority will always be the children whose lives are transformed by the programme.

"In the super-politicised world that we live in right now, you have to say, you have to do, you have be against.

"It's difficult because everybody is screaming – but we need more of these programmes that motivate you to find the best of people.

"For me, the most important thing is that this new generation has the opportunities that I had."

More than three million children have passed through El Sistema over the last five decades, with the programme replicated in dozens of countries around the world.

Over the next three weeks, almost one million people will see the results on stage at Wembley.

"It's the biggest number of people that I ever played. It's a lot," marvels Mendonça.

"It's a way to represent my country and, in my particular case, it's a way to give hope to all the children I've had the opportunity to teach.

"Sometimes, when you're growing up, you don't know why you are doing the things you do... But when you see someone close to you doing something like this, you say, 'If she can, why can't I?'"

Erik Menendez's lengthy parole hearing in California on Thursday contained several insights into his time behind bars - some of which factored into the board's decision to refuse his request for release.

Along with his brother Lyle, Erik has spent decades behind bars for the shotgun killings of his wealthy parents in 1989, which was also discussed at the hearing. The brothers claimed self-defence, and have long pushed for their freedom.

Lyle has a hearing of his own on Friday. Here is some of what we learned about the killings and Erik's time in prison, based on Thursday's hearing, which he attended virtually.

Prison behaviour, not killings, prompted refusal

The parole commissioner, Robert Barton, said the main reason for his denial was not the killings themselves, but Menendez's behaviour in prison.

Barton rejected any notion that Menendez had been a "model prisoner", though he said he was "gaining insight". There was discussion of Menendez's involvement in fights, drug use and even a tax-fraud scam while linked to a gang.

Menendez earned Barton's censure over his possession of prohibited materials - in particular his repeated illicit use of a mobile phone.

"What I got in terms of the phone and my connection with the outside world was far greater than the consequences of me getting caught with the phone," Menendez explained. But he said he had later rethought this view.

• Full story: Erik Menendez denied parole
• The brothers' three paths to freedom
• Brothers' family members call for their release

Menendez saw father and mother 'as one person'

Menendez, who was 18 at the time of the crime, was asked why he and brother shot dead their parents rather than simply leave home.

He and his brother have long claimed the killings were a matter of self-defence, as their father was sexually abusing them.

"When I look back at the person I was then and what I believed about the world and my parents, running away was inconceivable," Menendez responded. "Running away meant death."

Asked why they killed their mother as well as their father, Menendez said he "saw them as one person" after he learned that his mother was aware of the abuse.

Contraband art materials also caused trouble

As well as the mobile phone, the other contraband goods that Menendez was revealed to have stashed included candles, ingredients for making wine, and art materials.

The art supplies had been used to decorate his cell, the LA Times reported.

Commenting on the smuggled goods, Barton said Menendez's "institutional misconduct showed a lack of self-awareness".

More than a dozen relatives back brothers' release

Acknowledging the impact of his crimes on his relatives, Menendez told the hearing: "I just want my family to understand that I am so unimaginably sorry for what I have put them through."

The number of relatives who want to see the brothers released is now known to be more than a dozen. The group gave statements to that effect.

One of them, the brothers' aunt Teresita Menendez-Baralt, tearfully said she forgave the pair for killing her brother. Explaining that she had late-stage cancer, she spoke of her wish to welcome Erik into her home to "wrap my arms around" him before it was too late.

Barton acknowledged the support, but told Menendez: "Two things can be true. They can love and forgive you, and you can still be found unsuitable for parole."

Postal services around the world are pausing deliveries to the US over confusion around new import taxes that must be paid on parcels from the end of the month.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month ending the global import tax exemption on low-value parcels, which takes effect from 29 August.

While gifts worth less than $100 will remain duty-free, the changes mean all other packages will face the same tariff rate as other goods from their country of origin.

Postal services, including Royal Mail and Germany's DHL, said they would suspend deliveries until they had proper systems in place to deal with the new rules.

Royal Mail said it was withdrawing its current US export services, but added it hoped to have a new system up and running within two days to allow it to comply with the new rules before the new rules kick in.

"Royal Mail is working closely with the US authorities and international partners to manage the impact of these changes which will affect everyone who sends goods to the USA," the company said.

The US had a so-called de minimis exemption on packages worth up to $800, which allowed consumers to buy cheap clothing and household goods from sites such as Shein and Temu without paying import duties.

But the duty-free rule ended on Chinese goods ended on 2 May, and is now being extended to the rest of the word.

The White House said ending the duty-free exemption would combat "escalating deceptive shipping practices, illegal material, and duty circumvention", claiming some shippers had "abused" the exemption to send illicit drugs into the US.

The Trump administration said de minimis shipments had skyrocketed from 115 million in the 2023/24 financial year, to 309 million by 30 June this year.

Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany said it was temporarily suspending parcel delivery for business customers to the US from Saturday, as "key questions remain unresolved" about how duties would be paid, and by whom.

DHL sad it was "closely monitoring the further developments" and remained in contact with US authorities, and said shipping via its DHL Express services "remains possible".

"The company's goal is to resume postal goods shipping to the US as quickly as possible," it said.

Earlier this week PostNord announced it was also suspending services as the US authorities only provided details about the required changes on 15 August.

"This decision is unfortunate but necessary to ensure full compliance of the newly implemented rules," said Bjorn Bergman, PostNord's head of group brand and communication.

In Trump's "big beautiful bill", passed by Congress on 3 July, the change to de minimis was due to come into effect on 1 July 2027, but a recent executive order sped up the process by two years.

The new rule does not affect personal items Americans carry with them from foreign travel valued at $200 or less and it does not affect gifts valued at $100 or less.

Residents of the Gaza Strip have described to the BBC the effects that a lack of food is having on their bodies, after a UN-backed report confirmed famine in the territory for the first time.

Reem Tawfiq Khader, 41, a mother of five from Gaza City, said: "The declaration of famine came too late, but it is still important.

"We haven't eaten any protein for five months. My youngest child is four years old -he doesn't know what fruit and vegetables look or taste like."

The UN says Israel has heavily restricted the amount of aid entering Gaza, which Israel denies.

Israel also denies there is starvation in the territory, in direct contradiction to what more than 100 humanitarian groups, witnesses on the ground, and multiple UN bodies say.

On Friday, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said there was an "entirely man-made" famine in Gaza City and its surrounding areas.

It warned that more than half a million people across the Gaza Strip were facing "catastrophic" conditions characterised by "starvation, destitution and death".

Rajaa Talbeh, 47, a mother of six, said she had lost 25kg (55lbs) in weight. She fled her home in Gaza City's Zeitoun district a month ago and now lives in a makeshift tent near the beach.

She suffers from gluten intolerance and said she could no longer find food she could eat.

"Before the war, a charity used to help me get gluten-free products, which I could never afford myself," she said.

"Since the war began, I can't find what I need in the market, and even when I do, I can't afford it. Isn't it enough to face daily bombardment, displacement and living in a tent that shields us neither from the heat of summer nor the cold of winter - and now famine on top of it?"

More than 62,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military began its operation, in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since the start of the war, at least 271 people, including 112 children, have died of "famine and malnutrition", according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Another woman, Aseel, who lives in Gaza City, said: "Five months ago, I weighed 56kg (123lbs). Today, I weigh only 46kg (101lbs)."

She said she hadn't eaten a single piece of fruit or meat in months and had spent nearly her entire savings on basic ingredients to survive.

Aseel's sister-in-law - who she lives with - has a one-month-old baby.

"She's been desperately searching for baby formula at a reasonable price," Aseel said.

She said that when they can find it, it costs as much as 180 shekels (£39) per can.

"I have no food stockpile, not even enough to last a week or two," she added.

"Like thousands of people, we live day by day."

Additional reporting by Freya Scott-Turner

The government is seeking to appeal the High Court's refusal to allow it to intervene in the case of a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Epping.

Earlier this week, Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary injunction to stop people being placed at the Bell Hotel.

The court refused a last minute effort from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to get the council's case dismissed.

If successful in its new appeal to be an interested party, the government is then expected to consider a further appeal against the ruling itself.

Home Office Minister Dan Jarvis said the government was committed to closing all asylum hotels, but added "we need to do that in a managed and ordered way".

"And that's why we'll appeal this decision," he said.

A senior Home Office source said it was a matter of "democracy" and that the judiciary should not be able to tell the government where it can and can't place asylum seekers.

In recent weeks, thousands of people have gathered near the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex to protest after an asylum seeker living there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town.

Bringing its case, Epping Council argued that the presence of the hotel "poses a clear risk of further escalating community tensions already at a high, and the risk of irreparable harm to the local community".

Before the judgement was handed down, the Home Office asked to intervene in the case, warning that the court's decision could "substantially impact" its ability to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK.

The court ruled in favour of Epping Council and said the 140 asylum seekers would have to leave the hotel by 16:00 BST on 12 September.

Since the ruling, more than half a dozen councils have said they were considering taking similar legal action.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

TikTok is planning to lay off hundreds of staff in the UK which moderate the content that appears on the social media platform.

According to TikTok, the plan would see work moved to its other offices in Europe as it invests in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to scale up its moderation.

"We are continuing a reorganisation that we started last year to strengthen our global operating model for Trust and Safety, which includes concentrating our operations in fewer locations globally," a TikTok spokesperson told the BBC.

But a spokesperson for the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the decision was "putting corporate greed over the safety of workers and the public".

"TikTok workers have long been sounding the alarm over the real-world costs of cutting human moderation teams in favour of hastily developed, immature AI alternatives," CWU National Officer for Tech John Chadfield said.

He added the cuts had been announced "just as the company's workers are about to vote on having their union recognised".

But TikTok said it would "maximize effectiveness and speed as we evolve this critical function for the company with the benefit of technological advancements".

Impacted staff work in its Trust and Safety team in London, as well as hundreds more workers in the same department in parts of Asia.

TikTok uses a combination of automated systems and human moderators. According to the firm, 85% of posts which break the rules are removed by its automated systems, including AI.

According to the firm, this investment is helping to reduce how often human reviewers are exposed to distressing footage.

Affected staff will be able to apply to other internal roles and will be given priority if they meet the job's minimum requirements.

'Major investigation'

The move comes at a time when the UK has increased the requirements of companies to check the content which appears on their platforms, and particularly the age of those viewing it.

The Online Safety Act came into force in July, bringing with it potential fines of up to 10% of a business' total global turnover for non-compliance.

TikTok brought in new parental controls that month, which allowed parents to block specific accounts from interacting with their child, as well as giving them more information about the privacy settings their older teenagers are using.

But it has also faced criticism in the UK for not doing enough, with the UK data watchdog launching what it called a "major investigation" into the firm in March.

TikTok told the BBC at the time its recommender systems operated under "strict and comprehensive measures that protect the privacy and safety of teens".

"We decided pretty much straight away that he was going to be our ring bearer," Brad says. "He had to be involved in some way."

He is talking about Newton, Ellie and Brad's pet dog. When the couple recently got married, having the sheepadoodle at the ceremony was never debated.

In fact, he had several roles on their special day - meeting and greeting all of the guests and being present in all of the family portraits.

"He brought so much joy being there. It felt so nice to go over to him and give him a cuddle," Brad told the BBC's Morning Live.

"He was just amazing," Ellie added.

They aren't the only couple who have chosen to include their pooch in their big day, with dogs increasingly seen as a member of the family.

Nearly nine in 10 people described their dog as their best friend in a recent survey by charity Dog's Trust, while 89% said that their dog provides emotional support.

Emma and Ade Cartlich are the owners of dog chaperone service Precious Pets Weddings. Situated in the East Midlands, the couple say they have now expanded their services to Wales and London due to demand.

Emma says they first do a consultation call with couples to find out all about their dog, before an in-person meeting to understand the dog's temperament.

"You have to find out all the temperaments, the couple's ideas, how well this would match and then put your plan together."

Then when the big day arrives, the couple get the dog over to the venue, walk him or her, and practise the role assigned to them.

"We then spruce the doggy up with a mini groom, doggy perfume, tuxedo, flower colours. And then normally most dogs will be at the meet and greet as the guests are arriving."

Jane and Darryl Marsh run a similar chaperone service called Paws2Party, in Solihull. They say the demand for bookings means they are now considering franchising the business so they can expand.

They have worked on ceremonies where dogs have been used as "flower girls" and bridesmaids, as well as ring bearers.

"Every wedding is different, we're guided by the dog and their behaviour," says Jane. "The dog usually steals the show, everybody ends up taking pictures of the dog and not the bride and groom."

Bethan and Charlie, who recently married, had their own dog Fergus at the wedding, but also allowed family members to bring their dogs too.

"Having Fergus at the wedding was the only thing we were absolutely certain about from the get-go," Bethan says.

On the day Fergus did a "first look" with Bethan, being the first person, or in this case pet, to see the bride in her dress.

"By the time I arrived at the church, he was waiting for me. It was really nice to pull up and see him there."

Fergus wasn't just a guest, he also had a special role as ring bearer.

"It was lovely being able to have Fergus as part of the day, but having him as part of the actual wedding ceremony was really special."

Bethan says she has seen dogs at weddings featured on social media, with thousands sharing photos.

"I'm absolutely obsessed with Fergus, and so is Charlie, so I don't think anybody would have expected him not to feature on our wedding day.

"Anybody who has a dog knows they are literally like having a child."

For some, like Angharad, having a dog at a wedding is a necessity. Her guide dog Tudor was there to walk her down the aisle.

Angharad was matched with Tudor in 2018 by sight loss charity Guide dogs, and he has been a fundamental part of her life ever since.

"There were four guests with guide dogs at our wedding. Tudor got really excited because his favourite people were in the room."

Angharad says if you want to involve your dog in your wedding, then researching venues thoroughly is essential.

"Finding a venue that was at the scale we wanted it to be at and was wheelchair friendly, accessible for stairs and dogs was actually very difficult."

• Morning Live will be back on air from 1 September.

Tips for a dog-friendly wedding

• Make sure that the wedding venue is dog friendly
• Check your photographer is okay with dogs if you want to feature them in photos
• Consider your dog's temperament. There are different roles a dog can play but it is important to understand how they may behave to prevent any issues
• Selecting the right outfit for a dog is key. Harnesses can work well as they prevent the dog from jumping up at guests
• Do some research on the type of flowers you would like, as some can be poisonous to dogs
• Let your guests know in advance that dogs will be present. Some people may be allergic to or scared of dogs

Tips provided by the chaperone services the BBC spoke to

A British Airways flight attendant was found naked in an onboard toilet while under the influence of drugs, a court has heard.

Haden Pentecost, 41, was working on a flight from California to London when he started to become agitated and was described as "sweating" and "babbling".

A blood test later revealed Pentecost had methamphetamine and amphetamines in his system.

Pentecost, who has been sacked, pleaded guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court to performing an aviation function while impaired by drugs.

The court heard Pentecost had to be stood down by his manager when he failed to help with any pre-flight safety checks.

After complaining of cramps and saying he had to change his clothes, he locked himself in one of the toilets - where a colleague later found him naked and oblivious to the fact, the court was told.

He had dilated pupils, a high heart rate, and had to be checked every 20 minutes until the plane arrived at Heathrow. Paramedics then took Pentecost to hospital.

Pentecost, of Basingstoke, was granted bail and will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court at a later date.

British Airways has been approached by the BBC for comment.

Residents of the Gaza Strip have described to the BBC the effects that a lack of food is having on their bodies, after a UN-backed report confirmed famine in the territory for the first time.

Reem Tawfiq Khader, 41, a mother of five from Gaza City, said: "The declaration of famine came too late, but it is still important.

"We haven't eaten any protein for five months. My youngest child is four years old -he doesn't know what fruit and vegetables look or taste like."

The UN says Israel has heavily restricted the amount of aid entering Gaza, which Israel denies.

Israel also denies there is starvation in the territory, in direct contradiction to what more than 100 humanitarian groups, witnesses on the ground, and multiple UN bodies say.

On Friday, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said there was an "entirely man-made" famine in Gaza City and its surrounding areas.

It warned that more than half a million people across the Gaza Strip were facing "catastrophic" conditions characterised by "starvation, destitution and death".

Rajaa Talbeh, 47, a mother of six, said she had lost 25kg (55lbs) in weight. She fled her home in Gaza City's Zeitoun district a month ago and now lives in a makeshift tent near the beach.

She suffers from gluten intolerance and said she could no longer find food she could eat.

"Before the war, a charity used to help me get gluten-free products, which I could never afford myself," she said.

"Since the war began, I can't find what I need in the market, and even when I do, I can't afford it. Isn't it enough to face daily bombardment, displacement and living in a tent that shields us neither from the heat of summer nor the cold of winter - and now famine on top of it?"

More than 62,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military began its operation, in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since the start of the war, at least 271 people, including 112 children, have died of "famine and malnutrition", according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Another woman, Aseel, who lives in Gaza City, said: "Five months ago, I weighed 56kg (123lbs). Today, I weigh only 46kg (101lbs)."

She said she hadn't eaten a single piece of fruit or meat in months and had spent nearly her entire savings on basic ingredients to survive.

Aseel's sister-in-law - who she lives with - has a one-month-old baby.

"She's been desperately searching for baby formula at a reasonable price," Aseel said.

She said that when they can find it, it costs as much as 180 shekels (£39) per can.

"I have no food stockpile, not even enough to last a week or two," she added.

"Like thousands of people, we live day by day."

Additional reporting by Freya Scott-Turner

The government is seeking to appeal the High Court's refusal to allow it to intervene in the case of a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Epping.

Earlier this week, Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary injunction to stop people being placed at the Bell Hotel.

The court refused a last minute effort from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to get the council's case dismissed.

If successful in its new appeal to be an interested party, the government is then expected to consider a further appeal against the ruling itself.

Home Office Minister Dan Jarvis said the government was committed to closing all asylum hotels, but added "we need to do that in a managed and ordered way".

"And that's why we'll appeal this decision," he said.

A senior Home Office source said it was a matter of "democracy" and that the judiciary should not be able to tell the government where it can and can't place asylum seekers.

In recent weeks, thousands of people have gathered near the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex to protest after an asylum seeker living there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town.

Bringing its case, Epping Council argued that the presence of the hotel "poses a clear risk of further escalating community tensions already at a high, and the risk of irreparable harm to the local community".

Before the judgement was handed down, the Home Office asked to intervene in the case, warning that the court's decision could "substantially impact" its ability to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK.

The court ruled in favour of Epping Council and said the 140 asylum seekers would have to leave the hotel by 16:00 BST on 12 September.

Since the ruling, more than half a dozen councils have said they were considering taking similar legal action.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

One hundred people have been arrested and dozens of weapons seized ahead of this weekend's Notting Hill Carnival, the Metropolitan Police has said.

The arrests, which led to 21 people being recalled to prison, are "intended to disrupt and deter those who the police have reason to believe pose the greatest risk to public safety at carnival", Scotland Yard said.

As part of the operation, officers seized 11 firearms and more than 40 knives with 266 people being given police bail or probation licence conditions not to come to carnival this year.

Cmdr Charmain Brenyah said the arrests would act as "a significant deterrent" for those wanting to "engage in violence and other criminality".

Millions of people are expected at Europe's largest street party which runs from Saturday to Monday.

Cmdr Brenyah said: "The vast majority come to have fun and enjoy themselves, to celebrate Caribbean culture, to dance, to eat and to go home with nothing but good memories.

"Regrettably we know a minority come with less positive intentions and in recent years this has played out in the form of serious violence including three tragic incidents where lives have been taken."

She added: "Our policing plan makes tackling serious violence a priority which is why we've carried out intelligence-led interventions against those groups and individuals who we have reason to believe pose the greatest risk to the safety of other carnival-goers."

The Met Police commissioner has defended Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology - which captures people's faces in real-time CCTV cameras - as a tool that helps officers locate people on watch lists, ahead of its use this weekend.

LFR will be used on the approach to and from the carnival as well as outside the boundaries of the event.

Alongside the use of LFR technology, the Met also plans to install screening arches at some of the busiest entry points to the carnival, where stop-and-search powers will be used in a bid to keep weapons out.

Last year, Cher Maximen, 32, was murdered with a zombie knife in front of her three-year-old daughter at the carnival.

Chef Mussie Imnetu was also killed near the carnival.

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A new species of dinosaur that had an "eye-catching sail" along its back has been named after sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur.

The dinosaur, unearthed on the Isle of Wight, has been given the name Istiorachis macaruthurae with the first word meaning "sail spine" and the second referring to Dame Ellen's surname.

The record-breaking round-the-world yachtswoman said it was a "huge honour", adding: "The fact that the Istiorachis 'sail' could be likened to the sails I have spent so much of my life below was very touching."

After being analysed it has now been officially named and described by island-based scientist Jeremy Lockwood, and is now on display at Dinosaur Isle Museum in Sandown.

The medium-sized herbivore once roamed the floodplains of what is now the island's south-west coast.

Its remains, which date back 125 millions years, were originally discovered by fossil hunter Nick Chase, who died of cancer in 2019.

Before Dr Lockwood's analysis the fossils were assumed to have belonged to one of the two known iguanodontian dinosaur species from the Isle of Wight.

He said: "While the skeleton wasn't as complete as some of the others that have been found, no-one had really taken a close look at these bones before.

"It was thought to be just another specimen of one of the existing species, but this one had particularly long neural spines, which was very unusual.

"It may have been used for display, much like a peacock's feathers, possibly to attract mates or intimidate rivals."

For the study, researchers compared the fossilised bones with a database of similar dinosaur back bones which allowed them to see how these sail-like formations had evolved.

Dame Ellen, founder and patron of the East Cowes based charity the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, said: "It is certainly not an everyday occurrence to be asked if a newly discovered dinosaur could reference your name in its title.

"I was somewhat taken aback when this conversation began, but felt hugely privileged to be asked.

"The fact that the Istiorachis 'sail' could be a-likened to the sails I have spent so much of my life below was very touching.

"It is both extraordinary and a huge honour that a creature living 125 million years ago could possibly be linked to my family name."

She became the fastest person to sail solo non-stop around the world in 2005.

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Scottish actress Karen Gillan has confirmed she is to star in a remake of 80s cult movie Highlander alongside Henry Cavill.

The 37-year-old former Doctor Who star, who grew up in Inverness, posted on Instagram that "my dialect coach can sit this one out".

"So excited to be an actual Highlander in 'Highlander'," she said.

Gillan will take on the role of the wife of Connor McLeod – played by former Superman actor Cavill - the love of his life, who he meets while still a young man.

The original 1986 film chronicles the climax of an age-old war between immortal warriors.

It starred Frenchman Christopher Lambert as The Highlander, with Sir Sean Connery playing his mentor Ramirez – an Egyptian who had been based in Spain.

Filming on the reboot will begin in September in Scotland.

Gillan, who lives in Los Angeles with her American husband, told the BBC this week she wants to work in her home country more often.

"I am more likely to take a job if it films in Scotland," she said.

"I'm always looking for reasons to come to Scotland."

She said her daughter Clementine, who was born in December last year, will soon be travelling with her when she comes back to Inverness.

"My next job is going to be in Scotland so she will be seeing it soon," Gillan said.

"I can take her to Eden Court Theatre - and I want to take her to the pantomime in Inverness - that's my biggest dream."

Gillan's latest movie - Life of Chuck - was filmed before she gave birth in December.

It is based on the 2020 novella King of Horror by Stephen King and stars Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor, alongside Gillan and Star Wars actor Mark Hamill.

The plot follows the life of Charles "Chuck" Krantz but starts from his death, which coincides with the end of the universe, and works back to his childhood.

'Life-affirming'

Gillan, who has starred in box office hits such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Jumanji, says it is not what most people would expect from a Stephen King project.

"I thought it would be some horror epic and it is just not that at all - it's quite the opposite," she said.

"I'd describe it as a life-affirming film and an exploration of life and how to truly live in the way that you want to."

She added: "It really makes you examine how you are spending your own time which is something I definitely dove into when I was preparing for it."

Gillan's character Felicia is a nurse who knows the universe is coming to an end.

"I asked myself 'what would that actually feel like?'," she said.

"I came to the conclusion that so many things that we get so fixated on in life - things like accolades and money - all that would fade away and at the end of the day it is about being with people you love and who love you back - that is what life is truly all about."

When she attended the Hollywood premiere of Life of Chuck in June, it was her first red carpet event since the birth of daughter at the end of last year.

"I just feel completely different," the star said.

"My whole perspective has shifted. I just feel like my main purpose in life is to protect this baby at all costs - and then also do acting on the side."

Gillan, who is married to comedian Nick Kocher, says she isn't really sure how it would work having a baby on set during long hours of filming.

But she added: "I am going to have to figure it out because I refuse to be parted with her."

So, apart from the Highlander reboot, what's next for Gillan?

She says she would like to direct a horror movie or maybe a one-woman theatre show.

"That's something I haven't done out of fear - a live production of some sort," she said.

"I have got to face the fear. It's time. Every single year I go to the Fringe, I come out saying I am going to do a show next year and it never comes to fruition.

"But maybe next year. I could hang around with one of these experimental clowns and they might let me be in their show."

And what would it take for her to return to Doctor Who and the role of Amy Pond where she made her name?

"It would take Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill to be with me and that's about it," she said.

"I'd do it if they were there. I had the best time of my life on that TV show.

"I can't believe I was 21 years old and got to run about with two of my best mates - it was such a good time."

Families of those killed in the Shoreham Airshow crash have spoken about the moment they found out about the tragedy - and how they have coped over the past 10 years.

Kelly Will, whose 23-year-old brother Daniele Polito died in the disaster, said she had moved to the US two weeks before her mum called with the news.

"She was just crying down the phone, blurting it out in such terror and torment," Ms Will told the BBC.

"I can't even express the feelings and words... to hear that feeling of absolute anguish.

"I couldn't think. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. I felt nauseous and sick".

Daniele and 10 other men died when a Hawker Hunter fighter jet crashed onto the A27 in West Sussex on 22 August 2015.

It was one of the worst airshow disasters in UK history.

Daniele's other sister, Marina Polito, said the sound of her mum's grief-stricken wail was something she could "never unhear".

Ms Polito said she had been in denial about what happened for months after and even went to a police station to view a photo of Daniele's body to convince herself it was really him.

A coroner blamed vintage aircraft pilot Andy Hill for the crash at an inquest in 2022 after an Old Bailey jury cleared him of manslaughter in 2019.

Mr Hill fought a long, ultimately unsuccessful legal battle to get his pilot's licence reinstated.

Once a "strong, independent and feisty" woman, Ms Will said the ordeal of losing her son had caused her mum's health to deteriorate and she had eventually died of cancer.

"As parents ourselves that is the worst thing you could possibly go through in the world," she said. "End of story."

The sisters said family and friends had got them through the "doom and gloom".

"It was amazing. The local community came together to take care of us," Ms Will said, detailing how people had cooked for them and baked cakes.

"We're still grateful to this day. Honestly, I don't think we could have survived without that support."

The accident taught the family not to waste anything, according to Ms Polito.

She said: "There are a lot of sayings and mottos... but I think if you don't go through it, you don't really understand [things like] living to the fullest.

"We really do. Life can change in the blink of an eye."

• How the Shoreham Airshow disaster unfolded

Denise Morris said it felt like yesterday that her 53-year-old brother Mark Reeves was killed while riding to the airshow.

In the early years, she said what had happened was constantly on her mind.

"It was a very dark time," Ms Morris said.

She said her family had spent a fraught day continuously calling Mark's phone, only learning at midnight that his motorcycle had been involved in the crash.

"That was the beginning of a rollercoaster of uncertainty," she said, adding they still hoped he might have survived.

It was confirmed by DNA analysis the next day Mark had died.

Breaking down in tears, she said telling her elderly parents was the hardest thing she had ever done.

"Horrific things happen to people every day around the world," Ms Morris said.

"But you never dream it's going to be you, your family or someone you love."

She said her dad, who had taken them to airshows as children, had never accepted declining Mark's invite to go to the show - believing this might have saved his life as they would have gone together in a car.

Now when she thinks of Mark, Ms Morris said she remembered the "good times".

"He loved parties. He loved dancing. He loved music," she said. "He was really fun."

But Ms Morris added she felt sad doing things she knew Mark would have loved.

"He doted on his granddaughters - he really did," she said.

"They've missed the amazing influence of their grandad."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story you can find information and support on the BBC Actionline website.

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Actor Noel Clarke has lost his libel case against the Guardian, after he sued the newspaper's publisher for printing allegations of sexual misconduct.

The Doctor Who and Kidulthood star took Guardian News and Media (GNM) to court after the paper ran a series of stories in 2021 claiming he had used his power in the film and TV industry to prey upon and harass women.

During a High Court defamation trial earlier this year, his legal team said accusations that he was a "serial abuser of women" were false, and argued he was the victim of an "unlawful conspiracy".

The Guardian defended what it said was a "careful and thorough investigation conducted conscientiously" by its journalists.

During the six-week trial, more than a dozen women testified that they had personally experienced misconduct by the actor and director.

Clarke, 49, gave evidence over more than three days, and denied that he behaved sexually inappropriately with the women.

Clarke became famous for playing Mickey Smith during the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant eras of Doctor Who between 2005 and 2010. He also acted in blockbuster films such as Star Trek Into Darkness.

As an actor, writer and director, he became a powerful figure in the British film industry for making movies including the 'hood series - Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood.

In 2009, he won the Rising Star prize at the Bafta Film Awards, and in 2021 was given Bafta's Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema honour. That award and his Bafta membership were suspended when the Guardian's allegations were published.

This is a breaking news story, further updates to follow.

Baby food manufacturers must cut levels of salt and sugar in their products and stop promoting snacks for babies under the age of one, the government has said.

The new guidance would also restrict the use of marketing claims that suggest health benefits without scientific evidence.

Firms that do not make their products healthier within 18 months may face action.

It comes four months after a BBC Panorama investigation found top-brand baby food pouches lacked key nutrients and parents were often being misled by marketing.

Manufacturers told the BBC they were committed to providing high quality and nutritious foods, and marketing and labelling them in a responsible way.

There has been significant growth in the baby food and drink market in recent years.

Food in pouches makes up more than a third of this market and there's been a rise in sales of snacks like fruit and vegetable-based straws, puffs and wafers.

"Companies are dressing these products up as being healthy, when actually they're much like a crisp or a sweetie. They're putting profit before health," says former chief nutritionist to the government, Dr Alison Tedstone.

"I hope an ethical business will stand back and think about the health of our children."

In June, NHS advice was updated to tell parents they should not rely on baby food pouches as everyday meals, with experts believing they can cause health problems for children if used as their main source of nutrition.

These new government guidelines now turn to manufacturers - telling them to improve their products and ranges.

This has been a key demand of health campaigners who say it is companies that need to improve, so not all the pressure is on parents.

Kristal, a mum of two from Leeds, has used commercial baby food to feed her son Austin, who is now two.

"Like most parents I take my children's health and nutrition very seriously," she told the BBC.

"[But] for far too long there have been misleading marketing messages about the nutritional value of baby food and implied 'healthiness' of some of the infant snack foods".

Companies have previously been able to market products to babies as young as four months old, even though government guidelines state that solid foods should not be given to babies under six months.

Firms have also marketed snacks to infants under 12 months, when NHS guidance for parents says children under one do not need snacks.

The new guidelines say both of these practices should now be phased out, which could have significant ramifications for manufacturers.

Under the guidelines, sugar levels will be restricted in finger foods, snacks, desserts and non-refrigerated yoghurts, but there is no maximum level of sugar permitted in fruit pouches. This is despite many such products containing more sugar in a single pouch than a one-year-old should have in a day.

Companies have also been told to restrict the use of marketing claims on their products which are not based on scientific evidence.

Experts argue these claims often make products appear healthier than they really are, and sometimes even appear a better choice than homemade food.

Some leading baby food pouches carry labels such as "just good stuff" or "packed with goodness", despite BBC Panorama finding some products to be low in key nutrients and very high in sugar.

But there is concern the guidelines are not clear on what is and isn't permissible.

Dr Vicky Sibson, a public health nutritionist and director of the charity First Steps Nutrition Trust, describes them as "open to exploitation" by companies.

A version of these guidelines was first drafted five years ago by Public Health England for the then-Conservative government.

However, the guidelines were never published as prime ministers changed and new priorities came in during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Alison Tedstone led the team that wrote those guidelines and told the BBC she hopes "this is the line in the sand".

The guidelines are voluntary, and the government hopes they will be followed.

But none of the companies approached by the BBC responded when asked if they would adhere to the guidelines in full.

A public relations firm representing Ella's Kitchen, a market leader, disputed whether some of its products fell under the guidelines relating to the advertising of snacks.

It told the BBC their carrot and parsnip melty puffs and tomato and basil melty sticks – advertised clearly as snacks on supermarket websites, and in the ”snacks and finger foods“ section on their own website – were actually intended to be used as part of a meal or ”picky plate”.

Dr Vicky Sibson called the Ella's Kitchen response "disingenuous", adding that parents regularly use such products as snacks. She said puffs and melty sticks were wholly inappropriate for use within main meals as infants need food that is high in nutrients.

Dr Tedstone said she heard such arguments time and time again from baby food companies and that it was "inevitable" some companies would not adhere to the guidelines.

The government says "additional or alternative measures" will be considered if businesses fail to implement these guidelines by February 2027.

Campaigners hope this would take the form of improved mandatory legislation. The government declined to specify if this was an option.

The guidelines apply in England only, but it's expected that manufacturers will sell any updated ranges or products across the UK.

The British Specialist Nutrition Association (BSNA), an industry body that represents the biggest baby food companies including Ella's Kitchen, Organix, Kiddilicious and Hipp Organic, told the BBC its members "have carried out significant improvements to recipes in recent years, including reducing sugar and increasing vegetable content, and continually review on-pack information”.

"We will continue to work towards the published guidelines," it added. “Baby foods can play an important role alongside home-prepared meals and offer options for parents on-the-go."

Heinz and Kiddilicious did not respond to the BBC. Organix and Ella's Kitchen did not provide their own statements, referring us to the BSNA.

Piccolo said they "remain committed to evolving with the guidance to best serve families".

Charlotte Stirling-Reed, a baby weaning expert and author, told the BBC that she hoped brands adhered "for the future health of children".

She added that families should not feel guilty for having used the products.

"This is about making changes to the food products that are available for young children, not about shaming us as parents."

Do you have more information about this story?

You can reach Catrin Nye by email at catrin.nye@bbc.co.uk, or her Instagram account.

Brent Hinds, the founding member and former lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Mastodon, has died in motorcycle crash.

The 51-year-old, who left the Grammy-winning band earlier this year, died in a collision in Atlanta, Georgia.

Police told US media outlets he died on Wednesday after his Harley-Davidson collided with a BMW SUV whose driver did not give way while making a turn. A local medical examiner's office later confirmed his death.

In a statement posted on social media, Mastodon said they were in a "state of unfathomable sadness and grief".

"We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we've shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many," the band wrote on Instagram.

Queens of the Stone age paid tribute on X, writing: Rest in Peace Brent Hinds. With love & respect. See you on the other side old friend."

Alice in Chains star William DuVall posted: "This has knocked the wind out of me. RIP to the great Brent Hinds."

Hinds co-founded Mastodon in 2000 alongside bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor. He shared lead vocals and songwriting duties.

Their hardcore sound combined prog-rock, alternative and grunge - on albums such as Remission, Leviathan and Emperor of Sand - drawing in legions of metal fans and ultimately critical acclaim.

Hinds and his bandmates also made a brief appearance as "wildlings" on series fives of the fantasy drama TV series Game of Thrones.

Earlier this year though, Billboard reported they had "mutually decided to part ways".

Hinds disputed that account however earlier this month, saying he had been kicked out of the band.

Despite his success in the genre, Alabama-raised Hinds never considered himself to be strictly a heavy metal guitarist. He had previously studied classical guitar and would go on to note his love of country and the heavier end of psychedelic rock music.

In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, Hinds explained how he learned to play guitar. "My dad's cool as hell," he said, "but in an asshole move, he made me learn the banjo before he would buy me a guitar.

"So I was learning all this hillbilly music with my uncle, and then I focused on being an awesome guitar player. My mom would come in and say, 'are you OK? You haven't been out of your room in two days'."

Hinds also played with the surfabilly band Fiend Without a Face and classic rock acts such as The Blood Vessels, West End Motel and Four Hour Fogger, as well as The Last of the Blue Eyed Devils, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra and Legend of the Seagullmen.

Legendary Scottish comedian Sir Billy Connolly has released a video talking about his new artwork, including one inspired by his days touring with Elton John in the 1970s.

The 82-year-old funnyman was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2013 and announced his retirement from comedy five years later, telling the BBC his "art is his life now".

Sir Billy has now released four limited edition works under his Born On A Rainy Day series, recalling some of the fondest memories from his life.

They include Sausage Tree, which reflects on a trip with his daughter Amy, Sunburned, which depicts a Scottish man who has spent too long in the sun, and Fly Away Peter, which shows a multicoloured figure surrounded by birds.

One of the artworks is Saturday Night which shows a rock 'n' roll piano player in action.

Sir Billy says the character in the drawing "does that leg thing which is pure Elton".

The comedian, who is also a talented musician, toured America with Sir Elton in 1976 and says he could not believe what a performer he was.

"When I saw Jerry lee Lewis I thought it was the best thing I'd ever seen apart from Little Richard - and then I saw Elton," he says.

The drawing shows the flamboyant piano player with his leg on the keyboard and a stool overturned behind him.

"It was that point of the show where he backheeled the stool and it tumbled off the stage," Sir Billy says.

"The roadies all dived so that it didn't break."

He adds: "I saw Elton lately and he was better than I'd ever seen him.

"He's an amazing performer."

Another of the new works, Fly Away Peter, depicts a "happy guy with birds landing on him".

Sir Billy says he's particularly pleased with the way he has drawn the stripes on the figure's purple jacket and with the bird that peers over his shoulder.

"I like things that make me smile," he says.

Sir Billy describes the drawing as "beautiful".

"It's taken me years to say that," he says.

"I would never dream of saying it before for the chance that somebody would say 'it's crap, you're no good'.

"But I'm quite good. I can make people smile and feel happy. It's great."

The Scottish comedian says the Sausage Tree brings back memories of driving around the Scottish countryside when his daughter Amy was a child.

"We just went on the roads and saw things," he says.

"Once we were near a place called Aberfoyle and we came upon a sausage tree."

It was actually a bush with seed pods hanging from it but his child's delight at seeing a "sausage tree" has stayed with him since.

In his drawing Sunburned, Sir Billy shows a Tartan-clad man whose skin tone is lobster red.

"When I did it I stood back and I thought 'my god, you've got it'," he says.

"It's the colour you go in Scotland when the sun shines on you. It's weird.

"It's not a sunbathing country Scotland.

"I once said the climate in Scotland is June and winter."

Despite the lack of sunshine, Sir Billy says the Scottish climate is "wonderful to experience".

"Scotland is the most extraordinary country," he says.

"It's magical."

The government is planning a crackdown on people who continue to claim child benefit after leaving the UK, in a move it expects to save £350m over the next five years.

Claimants who are outside the UK for more than eight weeks will generally no longer be eligible for the benefit unless there are exceptional circumstances.

A new specialist team will use travel data to track if claimants have gone abroad and are no longer entitled to payments.

It follows a pilot which stopped child benefit being incorrectly paid to 2,600 people who had left the UK.

A team of 15 investigators stopped around £17m being incorrectly paid out in less than 12 months.

From next month, more than 200 people will be working on the team.

The government hopes the move will also raise awareness of the rules to avoid people continuing to claim the benefit by mistake when they are abroad for an extended period.

Child benefit is one of the most widely accessed forms of benefit in the UK, paid to more than 6.9 million families.

It is understood the government is now planning to look at other benefits that people are claiming overseas to see if more money can be clawed back.

Overall, benefit fraud has increased since the pandemic, although levels have started to drop in recent years, with renewed efforts by government to tackle the issue.

There was an estimated £6.5bn in benefit overpayments due to fraud in 2024/25, according to figures from the Department for Work and Pensions, equivalent to 2.2% of all benefit expenditure.

Rates of overpayments tend to be higher for means-tested benefits like Universal Credit.

People responsible for children under 16, or under 20 if in approved education or training, can claim child benefit.

It is worth £26.05 a week for the eldest child and £17.25 a week for any younger children.

Claimants must inform HMRC if they go abroad for more than 8 weeks as after this length of time they will no longer be eligible for the benefit, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The time limit for going abroad for medical treatment or due to the death of a family member is 12 weeks.

Cabinet Office Minister Georgia Gould said: "This government is putting a stop to people claiming benefits when they aren't eligible to do so.

"From September, we'll have ten times as many investigators saving hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer's money.

"If you're claiming benefits you're not entitled to, your time is up."

The pilot, which was carried out by the Public Sector Fraud Authority, the Home Office and HMRC, matched a random sample of 200,000 child benefit records with international travel data.

It was conducted under the Digital Economy Act 2017, which introduced a framework for sharing personal data for specific purposes across parts of the public sector.

Where the data suggested the claimant had left the country, specialist investigators from HMRC performed their own checks before deciding whether benefits were being claimed incorrectly.

The government said every case was reviewed by a human investigator and HMRC would contact families directly as part of any investigation.

It is understood the small amounts involved per individual means it often does not make sense for the government to seek a prosecution if someone is found to be claiming the benefit fraudulently.

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Travellers across the UK have been warned of traffic and extremely busy trains on Friday as millions set off on journeys ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

There will be significant disruption on the Cross Country train network over the next three days due to a strike by the RMT union over pay, safety and staffing.

Passengers travelling on the network, that runs services from Aberdeen to Cornwall, are being urged to travel on Friday.

Separately, the RAC has warned roads will be busy all of Friday with three million getaway journeys planned, and particularly heavy on the M5 between Bristol and Devon.

Monday is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Network Rail has advised all passengers to check their journeys before travelling due to the strikes and rail works.

There will be no CrossCountry services on Saturday, meaning there will be no direct trains connecting Birmingham to Leicester, Derby or Nottingham.

On Sunday, although industrial action is not taking place, alterations and cancellations are to be expected.

While on Monday, there will be a strike but with a limited services on all Cross Country lines between 08:00 BST and 18:00.

Trains between Birmingham, Reading and the South Coast will not run, as well as services between Leicester, Cambridge and Stansted airport.

There will only be a very limited service to the south west and north of York.

Meanwhile on the East Coast Main Line, LNER will have no direct trains to London King's Cross on Sunday - with engineering projects taking place on other routes too.

What will the weather be like?

On Saturday, western England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland will see sunny spells in the afternoon but also a chance of showers. Scotland will also have some sunny spells.

Sunday will be mainly dry with spells of sunshine and a few areas of cloud, along with the chance of a light shower in the north.

Central and Southern England will be warmest spots on Saturday and Sunday with temperatures predicted to be between 23 and 25C.

Bank Holiday Monday will be a largely dry and warm day with lots of sunshine. Rain will move into Northern Ireland in the evening.