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At least 34 dead after tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam

BBC 'Breaking' graphicBBC

Twenty-eight people have died after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam in bad weather, according to local reports.

At least 14 people are said to be missing following the incident in Halong Bay, a popular tourist destination in the north of the country, the reports say.

Most of the passengers were reportedly Vietnamese visiting from Hanoi.

Heavy rain has been hindering the search for survivors, rescuers say.

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.

Multiple arrests at Palestine Action ban protests

BBC Police arrest a woman in Parliament Square, LondonBBC
Police made more than 50 arrests in Parliament Square in central London

Dozens of people have been arrested at protests across the UK against the decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terror group.

Arrests have been reported in London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol and Truro, all places where demonstrations in support of the pro-Palestine action group took place on Saturday.

The Met Police said 55 people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences in Westminster for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action. Eight were arrested in Truro in Cornwall.

The government proscribed the group earlier this month under the Terrorism Act of 2000, making membership of or support for the group a criminal offence, following a break-in at an RAF base.

Across the country, protesters held placards with the words: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."

In London, arrests were made near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, where as many as 20 police vans attended.

Officers moved in swiftly to arrest those holding the placards, many of whom appeared to be over the age of 60.

One woman claimed to be in her 80s and was walking with a stick. Some were led away while others had to be carried.

Devon and Cornwall Police said two men and six women were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after protesters gathered near Truro Cathedral.

The force said around 30 people were involved in the peaceful demonstration, organised by campaign group Defend Our Juries.

Earlier, the campaign group said that one of those arrested near the cathedral was an 81-year-old former magistrate.

It also said 16 people were arrested in Manchester.

Police forces in the other locations where protests took place have not yet confirmed the number of arrests they made.

EPA Police officers carry a person in handcuffs away from Parliament SquareEPA
Some demonstrators in London were led away while others had to be carried by officers

Saturday's protests came ahead of a High Court hearing on Monday at which the co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, will ask for permission to challenge the decision to ban the group.

Last Saturday, 71 arrests were made across the UK at similar protests against the decision.

Palestine Action has engaged in activities that have predominantly targeted arms companies since the start of the current war in Gaza.

MPs voted to proscribe the group after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in June, spraying two Voyager aircraft with red paint and causing £7m worth of damage. Palestine Action took responsibility for the incident at the time.

Four people have since been remanded in custody, charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK.

The incident also prompted a security review across all UK military bases.

Car ploughs into crowd outside LA nightclub, injuring 30

BBC Breaking NewsBBC

At least 20 people have been injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

Up to five people have been critically injured and up to 10 are in a serious condition, the emergency services said.

The incident happened at 02:00 local time (09:00 GMT) in East Hollywood.

Pictures from the scene show a grey car on a pavement with debris strewn on the ground, and a large police presence.

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.

Buildings burn as another wave of Russian attacks hits Ukraine

Getty Images Ukrainian emergency service workers extinguish a fire in a residential building, after Russian shelling, in KostiantynivkaGetty Images
Apartments were among the buildings went up in flames across Ukraine following the Russian air strike

At least three people have died following another widespread air bombardment by Russia.

Two people were killed in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, the regional governor, Sergiy Lysak, said, while a woman died of her injuries after being rescued from a burning apartment in Odesa, according to emergency services.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said 10 regions of Ukraine, including a number of cities, were hit in the overnight assault. Ukraine's military said more than 340 explosive and dummy drones and 35 cruise and ballistic missiles were used.

Although it said 90% of these were shot down, suppressed electronically or lost, more than 30 got through.

One of the strikes hit a residential block in the southern city of Odesa, causing a fire on its upper floors.

Rescuers said five people were rescued from burning apartments - including the woman who later died. At least another six people were wounded.

The eastern city of Pavlohrad was subjected to what Serhiy Lysak called a "hellish night and morning".

He said there had been "explosion after explosion" caused by drone and missile strikes, adding it had been the biggest-scale attack on the city to date.

Targets reportedly included industrial sites, a fire department, a clinic, a school, and a cultural institution.

Zelensky wrote of "important infrastructure" being damaged there. A missile plant is based in Pavlohrad, and the city has been struck in the past by Russia.

Russia's defence ministry said it struck military-industrial enterprises that produce components for missiles and drones overnight, but did not specify where.

The north-eastern city of Sumy was also attacked. Zelensky said critical infrastructure had been damaged, cutting power to several thousand families.

There have also been strikes - including with guided bombs - on another town in the region, Shostka, which lies less than 50km (30 miles) from the Russian border. Officials said a "targeted hit" there had caused a fire. They did not say what had been struck.

Unverified video footage posted online purportedly of the incident shows a fierce fire and billowing clouds of grey smoke.

Zelensky once again stressed the importance of bolstering air defences, both in terms of supplies from allies, but also producing them in Ukraine, including more interceptor drones.

The Trump administration recently moved to free up weapons supplies, even if some of these - including much-needed Patriot air defences - will be paid for by other Nato allies.

EPA/Shutterstock People move a man on a stretcher near a damaged residential building after it was hit in a drone strike in Odesa, UkraineEPA/Shutterstock
At least six people were wounded as a result of the Russian attack on Odesa

Russia said it shot down more than 70 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday, most of them over the regions of Rostov, Moscow and Bryansk.

The acting governor of Rostov, Yuri Slyusar, said the attack had been massive, affecting areas close to the border with occupied parts of Ukraine. Houses, he said, were damaged by what he said had been falling debris, and several settlements suffered temporary power cuts.

Slyusar said one railway worker had been injured, and rail traffic disrupted. Several supply routes into Ukraine run through the area.

Meanwhile, on the front lines, Russian forces continue to attack one of their key objectives - the town of Pokrovsk in the eastern region of Donetsk.

Late on Friday, Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, acknowledged it faced increasing pressure, but insisted its defence was "steadfast". He said Russia had been trying to get to the city with small groups of soldiers attacking for sabotage and reconnaissance purposes, claiming one such group had been destroyed. Russia has been trying to encircle Pokrovsk for months.

More rain and thunderstorm alerts bring flash flood threat

Getty Images Woman walking in heavy rain holding a jacket over her head.Getty Images

Parts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the weekend.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning.

It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power cuts.

The torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared.

This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water.

The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on Saturday.

Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours.

It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road closures.

Lightning strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus cancellations.

Yellow weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern England.

Amber warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less severe.

The last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met Office.

After arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by midday.

Yellow warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm linger.

Last weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex.

One might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.

A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet weather.

Yorkshire's hosepipe ban is expected to last until winter.

Thunderstorms following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations.

The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.

Dozens killed by Israeli gunfire near aid sites in south Gaza, Hamas-run ministry says

Getty Images A group of women comfort another woman in the middle of their group in Khan Yunis. Getty Images

At least 32 Palestinians seeking food have been killed by Israeli gunfire near two aid distribution points close to Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Dozens were also injured near the two sites run by the controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), it said.

The GHF said there were no incidents "at or near" their sites, but that there had been "Israel Defense Forces (IDF) activity" hours before their sites were due to open.

One eyewitness told the Reuters news agency that the Israeli gunfire seemed "targeted to kill".

The Palestinian ministry of health said a number of bodies were taken to nearby Nasser hospital on Saturday morning.

There are almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. Witnesses say most have been shot by Israeli forces.

The IDF told the BBC that in the latest incident, troops fired warning shots to prevent "suspects" approaching them, saying the incident happened before the aid sites opened.

Mohammed Al-Khalidi, speaking to Reuters, pointed the finger at the Israeli army for the attack.

He said he was part of a group of Palestinians who had been told the GHF aid distribution centre was open, but when they arrived tanks began moving towards them and opened fire.

"It wasn't shots that were to scare us or to organize us, it was shots that were targeted to kill us, if they wanted to organize us they would have, but they meant to kill us."

The GHF uses private security contractors to distribute aid from sites in Israeli military zones. Israel and the US say the system is necessary to stop Hamas from stealing aid. The UN refuses to co-operate with it, describing it as unethical and saying no evidence has been offered of Hamas systematically diverting aid.

On 15 July, the UN human rights office said it had so far recorded 674 killings in the vicinity of the GHF's four sites in southern and central Gaza over the past six weeks.

Another 201 killings had been recorded along routes of UN and other aid convoys, it added.

The GHF denies that there have been any deadly incidents in close proximity to its sites and accused the UN of using "false and misleading" figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry's figures are widely seen as a reliable count of bodies seen by Gazan hospitals.

Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, to send journalists into the territory.

A map showing Gaza.  Circles reading : North Gaza 93,00 : Gaza City 185,00 : Deir al-Balah 60,00 : Kahn Younis 124,000 and : Rafa 7,500 - show the number of people in each area facing the risk of starvation.

The UN also said this week that the number of acutely malnourished children has doubled since Israel began restricting food entering the territory in March. Despite the creation of the GHF significant amounts of aid, including baby formula, is still being blocked at the border.

On Friday, the director of one field hospital said in a statement that they had an unprecedented influx of patients suffering from severe exhaustion, emaciation and acute malnutrition.

So far, 69 children have died from malnutrition during the increasing humanitarian crisis, according to the Hamas government media office.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump once again suggested a ceasefire deal was very near – but a Palestinian official told the BBC that talks remain blocked, with a latest troop withdrawal map proposed by Israel still unacceptable to Hamas.

More yellow rain and thunderstorm alerts bring threat of flash floods

Getty Images Woman walking in heavy rain holding a jacket over her head.Getty Images

Parts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the weekend.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning.

It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power cuts.

The torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared.

This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water.

The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on Saturday.

Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours.

It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road closures.

Lightning strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus cancellations.

Yellow weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern England.

Amber warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less severe.

The last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met Office.

After arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by midday.

Yellow warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm linger.

Last weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex.

One might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.

A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet weather.

Yorkshire's hosepipe ban is expected to last until winter.

Thunderstorms following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations.

The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.

Several critically injured in LA after vehicle driven into crowd

BBC Breaking NewsBBC

At least 20 people have been injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

Up to five people have been critically injured and up to 10 are in a serious condition, the emergency services said.

The incident happened at 02:00 local time (09:00 GMT) in East Hollywood.

Pictures from the scene show a grey car on a pavement with debris strewn on the ground, and a large police presence.

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.

Who is in charge? The prime minister's authority is in question again

BBC Sir Keir StarmerBBC

Who is in charge? You might think the answer should be obvious.

"This government should be walking on water, there should be nothing it can't do," a Whitehall insider suggests, given the rows and rows and rows - and yes, rows - of Labour MPs who line up behind the prime minister every Wednesday.

But, by booting out a small band of backbenchers this week, Sir Keir Starmer's put the question of his authority back on the table.

Answering the question of who is in charge isn't so simple after all.

This government has a "backbench they - and we - are surprised to discover they can't control," says one senior official.

The financial markets are breathing down its neck, with the country's debts sky high, and for good measure, what a No 10 source describes as a "deep current of instability" around the world.

Sir Keir's next one-to-one meeting with President Donald Trump is a case in point – who knows what he will or won't say alongside the prime minister on Scottish soil next week?

No-one in government can be sure how that is going to shake down, although I was very definitively told we will not be seeing Sir Keir swinging a club with his transatlantic pal.

It is, of course, impossible for any administration to be the master of all it surveys. But convincingly displaying authority, inhabiting its power, is a different task.

And neither all of Sir Keir's MPs, nor all of the people inside the government are sure it's being met.

Backbench bust-ups

Leon Neal/PA Wire Sir Keir StarmerLeon Neal/PA Wire

Let's start with the prime minister kicking out four MPs this week after they had objected to various Labour plans and proposals.

But if Sir Keir really felt in control of his party, why did he need to bother about a group of MPs that wouldn't even fill a family saloon? And why did he do it, just days before accepting some of the logic of one of those he kicked out, Chris Hinchcliff, over tweaks to proposed planning laws?

Bemused? You wouldn't be the only one.

Sir Keir's allies say he always believed there would have to be repercussions for MPs who plot against the government repeatedly, in part because others are asked to defend decisions that might be unpopular or difficult.

So after the welfare fiasco, the whips were asked to make a list of those who had been actively trying to organise resistance to government plans, rather than just expressing objections.

After gathering evidence about MPs' behaviour, those four were then shown the door, at least for now, to exert discipline over the backbenches.

A senior government figure said: "You can have as big a majority as you want, but if you have no discipline whatsoever it can get chaotic. You can't get chaotic at a time when the country desperately needs its government to get on with things."

It was a separate decision to suspend Diane Abbott - again, a choice made by Labour HQ who felt it had no choice but to act, interpreting her comments as repeating a claim that Jewish people don't experience racism in the same way as black people.

So, "behave - or else", is the message to the rest of the backbenches, just when they are about to leave Westminster.

But have the moves this week made a difference? One senior MP said: "A lot of people keep wondering, 'Is Keir beholden to his back benches?' I don't think people are like, 'Oh we're going to rebel if we're unhappy all the time'. But there has to be more respect for MPs who are actually out talking to their constituents."

Another senior Labour figure told me, "No 10 was completely spooked by what happened over welfare – I don't think backbenchers are running it, but they do have a taste for power."

Are ministers the masters?

Who then, is really in charge, I ask a member of the government. They laugh, and say, "I don't have an answer".

The same question posed to another Whitehall figure: "There is no way of knowing," they respond, suggesting sometimes government, even 12 months in, feels chaotic, with contradictory instructions to officials being given, even on the same day.

It's no secret, and it's not surprising, that working out how to run a country when you haven't done it before is hard.

There are plenty of ministers and staffers who will of course say loyally that No 10 is now firmly in control after understandable teething troubles, who are also somewhat fed up with the noises off.

As one government source reckons, "a bit of loyalty wouldn't go amiss". Another insider believes Whitehall is working much better than before. "In the first six months they were disappointed in us, and we were disappointed with them".

The Spending Review process occupied huge amounts of time and effort across government. Now that is over, it's not just the government's purse strings that have been set, but the political priorities alongside. In theory, as that source suggests, "they are now starting to get on with the doing".

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Sir Keir Starmer (centre front) stands with Labour Party MPsDan Kitwood/Getty Images

But that optimism is not springing from every source.

One experienced senior official told me: "A government is in charge if it has a plan, but if it doesn't, it cedes that. They still don't really have a governing plan, so it feels like the PM is in charge, but it is hard for his writ to be made to work."

In other words, it's clearer now, particularly after the big review of spending, what the government wants to do, but not how they plan to do it.

Another senior figure said: "They're busy and exhausted going to meetings with each other, and producing documents that no-one ever reads, and conversations that don't lead to anything and telling each other how difficult it is – they don't inhabit their power."

And there's obvious frustration among the government's own members too, one warning of a passive attitude among some colleagues, who could get to the next election and think only, "Well, I enjoyed driving around in my ministerial car and having my red box". There is a feeling, like, "Oh, we are here just to manage, not to lead and drive, and that's not good enough".

Not surprisingly, one cabinet minister defended the operation, "It's only been a year, people focus on the problems, if you look at it in the round we have been very, very effective," they told me.

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Grey presentational line

Governments are, of course, never short on helpful advice. As well as No 10's own learning on the job, and plans to improve its operations, like a review of communications across government that is under way, there will be other more formal suggestions in the coming months.

Later in the summer a set of proposals will be published by a think-tank with close links to No 10 and Labour, the Future Governance Forum, that's chaired by the former senior civil servant, Helen MacNamara.

The review will recommend a new government department, called "Downing Street", to give this and future prime ministers a more powerful centre of government so that No 10 can make decisions more quickly, and execute its plans more effectively.

Government insiders may not have appetite for any big bang changes, although they have pledged themselves on many occasions to "rewire" the government.

The respected Institute for Government already warned this week that big changes were needed if "ministers were serious" about their promise to rewire the state, concluding in its own research that Sir Keir's notion of "mission driven government" looks "shaky", and that government departments had reverted to old habits.

Moving desks and chairs around Whitehall, whether creating new departments or axing the old, wouldn't exactly make the pulse of the public quicken, but perhaps it ought to be on the agenda for a government that has struggled sometimes to exert its will.

The mighty markets

If ministers' grip isn't as tight as it might be, and backbenchers aren't calling the shots, there is no doubt there's another huge controlling factor.

A senior Labour source tells me, "People like to boil this down to palace politics," the jockeying for power between politicians, or the competing beliefs inside the party.

Surely not, Westminster enjoying a soap opera about the battle for the party's soul?

But instead they argue, "The markets are fundamentally a really major part of it – the government isn't making challenging decisions because it enjoys annoying people, or making life hard".

It's true the fights inside and outside the government are so often driven by cash sloshing around or falling down the back of the sofa.

Spoiler, overall spending is enormous but Rachel Reeves keeps a very tight grip on her wallet.

By instinct, Labour politicians normally want public spending to be generous.

Since returning to power they have hiked taxes in order to increase the amount of money going into the NHS particularly a lot.

But the country's debts are historically massive, and keeping up with the interest payments alone costs more than a hundred billion every year, around double what the UK spends on defence.

Yui Mok/PA Wire View of the London skyline looking southYui Mok/PA Wire

The government needs the financial markets to have faith in the UK so that businesses see the UK as a good place to spend cash, but crucially so they don't increase the costs of borrowing even more.

"The market is the biggest influence on them," a senior Labour figure tells me. "It is uncomfortable for a Labour government, but none of them want to end up in the Truss situation," where the City freaked out after promises of huge tax cuts without a plan to pay for them, borrowing costs went through the roof, and she had to say goodbye to her job in less than two months.

At the top of the Labour Party it's common to find frustration that the rank and file don't all appreciate what they see as the cold facts.

A senior government source summed up: "The markets are more in charge the more we borrow, so people who want more parliamentary sovereignty shouldn't be advocating for things that require more borrowing – markets aren't in charge, but people who lend you money expect it to be paid back."

No government, at any time, has been able to do exactly what it pleases.

For as long as governments borrow, the entities that lend to them will retain influence.

But having to be careful with cash to keep the markets on side is an acute pressure for Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves.

Jacob King/PA Wire Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage with his party's candidates onstageJacob King/PA Wire

As one senior official says "it is the binding constraint".

And unless and until the economy improves convincingly, or indeed the chancellor or the prime minister have a personality transplant, the markets will exert a mighty force over what they do.

With the markets, ministers and MPs, all jostling, who then really is in charge?

A senior government figure has the ultimate answer – "the voters of course".

It was the public's response to the winter fuel allowance decision that led No 10 in the end to drop it.

And when opposition parties zone in on public attitudes to some issues they can in turn force ministers to act.

The public's current interest in Reform UK occupies and terrifies Labour as well as the Conservatives.

Opposition politicians might not have the power to make decisions, but the issues they campaign on along with their fellow travellers and supporters can shape what happens at the top.

As this political season draws to a close, Nigel Farage will join us live in the studio tomorrow.

But in the end, of course, it is always you that has the say, you who can determine whether Labour prospers, whether in a few years time you give them another chance.

But to persuade you of that, the government will want to look more convincingly in control than in its first twelve months.

BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.

Fantastic Four and Pokémon Presents: What's coming up this week?

BBC/Disney/Marvel/Getty A stylised image of the Fantastic Four (on the left) and Pikachu (on the right)BBC/Disney/Marvel/Getty

This week, another new Marvel movie arrives in the form of Fantastic Four: First Steps.

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

Pokémon Presents appears to place Pikachu in the DJ booth, while Ray of Light-era Madonna gets the remix treatment, and Happy Gilmore returns to the greens after almost 30 years.

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

'It's clobberin' time!'

The 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - the first of phase six - lands in UK cinemas from Thursday, so we hope you've been keeping up.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing - complete with his catchphrase: "It's clobberin' time!"

Set in the 1960s, the films sees the heroes forced to defend Earth from a hungry space god named Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson, and the Silver Surfer, played by Julia Garner.

But don't worry if you haven't seen all or any of the previous 36 MCU films, as director Matt Shakman says his latest attempt to bring comic book heroes to the big screen exists in its "own universe".

"There's really no [other] superheroes," he told Empire. "There's no Easter eggs. There's no running into Iron Man or whatever. They're it, in this universe. I love the interconnected Marvel Universe, but we get to do something so new and so different. Eventually, this world will meet up with other worlds - but for now this is our own little corner."

John Malkovich was due to appear in the film as Red Ghost, however Shakman told Variety it was "heart-breaking" to ultimately have to leave his scenes on the cutting room floor.

Gilmore happy to be back

BBC/Getty Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore playing golfBBC/Getty

Adam Sandler's much-loved goofball golfer Happy Gilmore is back on the greens for the first time in nearly three decades, so watch your heads.

The original 1996 movie saw the aspiring hockey player switch sports to comedic effect, and now Sandler, 58, will reprise his role on Netflix from Friday.

Happy Gilmore 2 will see the main character dusting off his clubs in order to raise money to put his daughter Vienna, played by the actor's real life daughter Sunny Sandler, through ballet school.

Other stars of the original including Julie Bowen, Dennis Dugan, Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller all return.

New faces also join such as Lavell Crawford - who plays the son of Gilmore's late, great caddy Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers) - and Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, aka Bad Bunny, as well as Kym Whitley.

Gotta mix 'em all

By Andrew Rogers, Newsbeat reporter

Here's a question for you. What do you get when you cross Pikachu with a set of DJ decks? We have no idea either but we're set to find out on Tuesday during the Pokémon Company's latest announcement round-up for the months ahead.

Known as Pokémon Presents, these livestreams reveal everything coming up for the fictional creatures: from their trading card game to collaborations with big fashion houses.

This time, it's been teased with a picture of its main mascot Pikachu with DJ equipment, leading some to speculate there could be a new rhythm game on the way.

More certain is that we'll hear more about the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A game, as well as updates on Pokémon's growing number of mobile games.

If that wasn't enough Pokémon, we may also see more from the next series of Netflix spin-off show Pokémon Concierge launching in September too.

Madonna in the mix

BBC/Getty Madonna in the 1998 music video for Ray of LightBBC/Getty

Perhaps like DJ Pikachu, the Queen of Pop, Madonna, is set to drop her long rumoured and superbly named Veronica Electronica project on Friday.

The album features rare and unreleased remixes from her dancefloor-filling, Grammy-winning electronic 1998 album Ray of Light, which, at the time, put her back at the very top of the pop game once again in her 40th year.

It's being released digitally and on vinyl - for all you crate diggers - as part of her Silver Collection of ongoing career-spanning special releases.

Last month, the US singer, now 66, released Peter & Victor's Collaboration Remix Edit of her song Skin as the first offering, followed by a previously-unreleased original demo from the classic album sessions entitled Gone Gone Gone.

Other highlights this week

  • A love story from the Second World War era, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, begins on BBC One and iPlayer from Sunday at 21:15 BST
  • Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV - to give the update to the popular family game its full name - is available from Thursday, with new features, modes and minigames
  • The Modfather Paul Weller returns on Friday with a new album of unexpected covers and golden oldies, called Find El Dorado

British and Irish Lions beat Wallabies to take series lead

Imperfect Lions beat Wallabies to take series lead

Tom Curry tackles Joseph SuaaliiImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Tom Curry justified his selection with a dominant performance

Tom English
BBC Sport at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Australia (5) 19

Tries: Jorgensen, Tizzano, McDermott Cons: Donaldson 2

British and Irish Lions (17) 27

Tries: Tuipulotu, Curry, Sheehan Cons: Russell 3 Pens: Russell, M Smith

The British and Irish Lions beat the Wallabies 27-19 in the opening Test at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Dominant for 50 minutes, the Lions threatened to inflict a significant defeat on their hosts after a Finn Russell penalty and tries for Sione Tuipulotu and Tom Curry put them 17-5 ahead at the break.

Max Jorgensen replied for the hosts, who were outplayed in pretty much every facet. The Lions struck again early in the second half when Dan Sheehan finished in the corner to make it 24-5 after Russell converted for a third time.

The Lions then lost their way badly and the Wallabies came back into it, winning a ton of possession and territory and finally doing something with it when Carlo Tizzano blasted his way over after a sustained bout of pressure.

Ben Donaldson's conversion narrowed the gap to 12 with a dozen minutes left. Marcus Smith eased whatever nerves the Lions might have been feeling when he popped over a penalty but the Wallabies struck again late on through Tate McDermott.

Victory for the Lions and a 1-0 lead in the series - but the mood in the aftermath was odd to say the least. No huge celebrations from the Lions, just some confusion as to how a game they should have won extremely comfortably turned into such a grind.

This should have been a whole lot more comfortable for the Lions. They'll take the win, and played brilliantly in establishing their lead, but the way they fell off the pace in the final half an hour was worrying.

They lost their fury, their discipline and their decision-making and accuracy went south. They have much to work on before the second Test in Melbourne, but they'll take comfort from the fact that when they were good, they were very good and really should have blown the Wallabies away.

There was a power coming from the Lions in that first 50 that the Wallabies were utterly incapable of handling. Tom Curry typified the ferocity up front with Russell pulling the strings with ease.

If the Lions were looking to lay down an early marker then they did so not once, not twice but three times in the opening minute or so.

Curry buried James Slipper in the tackle, Tadhg Beirne won a breakdown penalty in the next wave and Russell lashed it between the posts. A dream beginning for the tourists. And it got better.

The Lions were so much better than the Wallabies it was almost indecent. Their first try was a peach, starting with the irresistible Russell putting Sheehan away. The home side never recovered. Power and precision did for them in the first instance and then Russell's audaciousness finished them off.

When he flung a floated pass beyond helpless Wallabies it landed in the grateful mitts of Tuipulotu, who went over at the posts. Gorgeous. Incredibly, Tuipulotu became the first Scot in 28 years to score a Lions Test try. The conversion was good and the Lions had a 10-point lead.

They were fluid and dominant in all areas. The wonderful Beirne and Curry were like hunters looking for prey. The Wallabies were in survival mode.

The Lions thought they'd scored again midway through the half when Tuipulotu's midfield partner, Huw Jones, went over, but it was chalked off for not releasing.

That was the only negative for the Lions at that point because they should have been further ahead - and then came the sucker punch from the Wallabies, a box-kick from Jake Gordon with Jorgensen beating Hugo Keenan in the air and running away to score.

The respite was brief. More creative stuff from the Lions saw Russell cross-kick to Joe McCarthy who wasn't far off scoring. Never mind, the score would come. The Wallabies, mistakes coming in droves now, gave away penalty after penalty in their own 22. At the last one, the Lions tapped and Curry drove over. Russell converted and the scoreline now bore some kind of reflection to the flow of the game.

There was a gulf as wide as the Brisbane River. Mere minutes into the new half, a Wallaby line-out overthrow was jumped on by Curry. Trouble ahead. Jones, basking in the open space, went hammering through a gap to take the Lions deep into Australia territory. The score was almost inevitable.

Jamison Gibson-Park found Jones while too much of the Wallaby defence bought the dummy run from Tommy Freeman. The Scot moved it on to Curry who put Sheehan over in the corner. High-class players making brilliant decisions in the face of an opponent that was dramatically out-matched.

Russell added two more and it was 24-5 - and embarrassing for the hosts. The sophistication and accompanying power of the Lions was way too much for them.

But then it all got very strange. The Lions lost it and the Wallabies grew. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was denied a try by the TMO, but his team stayed camped in the Lions 22. Tizzano fired himself over with 12 minutes left to make it 24-12.

Slightly anxious, Smith calmed things with a close-range penalty. Even then, the Wallabies had the final say when McDermott went over a little too easily for Lions comfort.

A mere consolation, of course. The Lions took the win and the spoils but that final 30 minutes was barren and weird. The last whistle was greeted in somewhat surreal fashion by the Lions. Relief, joy, but also a touch of confusion, too.

Onwards to Melbourne, though. One-nil, just as they'd hoped it would be.

Line-ups

Australia: Wright, Jorgensen, Suaalii, Ikitau, Potter, Lynagh, Gordon; Slipper, Faessler, Alaalatoa, Frost, Williams, Champion de Crespigny, McReight, Wilson

Replacements: Pollard, Bell, Robertson, Hooper, Tizzano, McDermott, Donaldson, Kellaway

British and Irish Lions: Keenan, Freeman, Jones, Tuipulotu, Lowe, Russell, Gibson-Park; Genge, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje, McCarthy, Beirne, Curry, Conan

Replacements: Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Chessum, Earl, Mitchell, Smith, Aki

Match officials

Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ)

Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)

Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Piardi (Ita)

TMO: Richard Kelly (NZ)

Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO): Eric Gauzins (Fra)

Amber weather warning over but flash flood threat remains

Getty Images Woman walking in heavy rain holding a jacket over her head.Getty Images

Parts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the weekend.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning.

It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power cuts.

The torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared.

This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water.

The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on Saturday.

Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours.

It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road closures.

Lightning strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus cancellations.

Yellow weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern England.

Amber warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less severe.

The last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met Office.

After arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by midday.

Yellow warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm linger.

Last weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex.

One might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.

A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet weather.

Yorkshire's hosepipe ban is expected to last until winter.

Thunderstorms following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations.

The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.

Several critically injured in LA after vehicle driven into crowd, emergency services say

BBC Breaking NewsBBC

At least 20 people have been injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

Up to five people have been critically injured and up to 10 are in a serious condition, the emergency services said.

The incident happened at 02:00 local time (09:00 GMT) in East Hollywood.

Pictures from the scene show a grey car on a pavement with debris strewn on the ground, and a large police presence.

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.

Syrian presidency announces ceasefire after deadly sectarian clashes in south

Getty Images Syrian military and security forces in Suweida. Photo: 15 July 2025Getty Images
Syrian military and security forces in Suweida. Photo: 15 July 2025

The Syrian presidency says it will deploy a new force to halt the deadly sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the south of the country.

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's office urged "all parties to exercise restraint", amid reports of renewed fighting near the city of Suweida on Friday.

Almost 600 people are reported to have been killed since the violence erupted on Sunday. Government troops deployed to the area were accused by residents of killing Druze civilians and carrying out extrajudicial executions.

Israel later struck targets in Syria to force the troops to withdraw from Suweida province. On Friday, the US ambassador to Turkey said that Israel and Syria had agreed a ceasefire.

In a post on X, ambassador Tom Barrack said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sharaa "have agreed to a ceasefire" embraced by Syria's neighbours Turkey and Jordan.

"We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," the envoy said.

Israel and Syria have not publicly commented on the reported ceasefire agreement.

Shortly before Sharaa's office announced its planned military deployment to the south, an Israeli official said Israel had agreed to allow the limited entry of Syrian Internal Security Forces personnel into Suweida for 48 hours to protect Druze civilians "in light of the ongoing instability".

Suweida's predominantly Druze community follows a secretive, unique faith derived from Shia Islam, and distrusts the current jihadist-led government in Damascus.

The BBC correspondent in the Syrian capital says that sectarian hatred of the Druze is now spreading across the country.

The Druze are a minority in Syria, as well as in neighbouring Lebanon and Israel.

Earlier this week, the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, said his office had received credible reports indicating widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings in Suweida.

Among the alleged perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim government, as well as local Druze and Bedouin armed elements, Türk said in a statement.

"This bloodshed and the violence must stop," he warned, adding that "those responsible must be held to account".

The BBC has contacted the Syrian government and security forces about allegations of summary killings and other violations.

In a televised address early on Thursday, Sharaa vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable and promised to make protecting the Druze a "priority".

"We are eager to hold accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people because they are under the protection and responsibility of the state," he said.

He went on to blame "outlaw groups", saying their leaders "rejected dialogue for many months".

Tall Ships event gets under sail in 'party city'

PA Media Tall ship in Aberdeen, with a white NorthLink ferry alongside, in Aberdeen harbour.PA Media
The majestic tall ships have ferried hundreds of competitors to Aberdeen

The Tall Ships Races Aberdeen - labelled the biggest tourist event in Scotland this year is under sail.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend, to see dozens of impressive vessels from around the world.

Scottish band Deacon Blue played a harbourside gig on Friday night as part of the warm-up for the four days before things get officially under way at the weekend.

But there is a Met Office Yellow warning for heavy rain in Aberdeen from Saturday afternoon until Sunday.

The city council said it would issue updates if there was any impact on the event as a result.

Aberdeen will be turned into a "party city", according to the organisers.

It runs until Tuesday, when the ships will then sail on to Norway.

The Granite City previously hosted the tall ships in 1991 and 1997.

Greenock and Lerwick are among other Scottish towns to have featured in the event's history, which dates back to the 1970s.

Dominik Lagowski Tall ship coming into Aberdeen harbour under a blue skyDominik Lagowski
The tall ships have been sailing into Aberdeen for the event
Aberdeen City Council White tall ship with three masts, with Aberdeen in the background and spectators in the foreground.Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen previously hosted the event twice in the 1990s

The event is billed as Europe's largest free family event.

Almost 50 ships have been confirmed as taking part in Aberdeen.

There will be about 2,000 international crew members taking part, from as far afield as Uruguay and Oman.

Hundreds of volunteers have been recruited to help at the event, which is expected to attract about "400,000 visits" - an estimate which includes repeat visits.

The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people in the art of sailing.

What ships are taking part?

The vessels are divided into four classes, ranging from large sailing ships to smaller single-masted boats.

Dar Mlodziezy, from Poland, is the tallest at 62.5m (205ft) high.

Built in 1982, she made her Tall Ships debut in the same year.

Her name means "the gift of youth".

PA Media Tall ship BAP Union, flanked by two offshore industry vessels, under a blue sky.PA Media
The BAP Union has come to Aberdeen from Peru

The BAP Union is the furthest travelled, having come to Aberdeen from Peru.

BAP Union's sailing distance from Callao to Aberdeen is about 7,500 nautical miles (13,890km).

Captain of Sorlandet, Tore-Skjelbred-Knudsen, in blue uniform on ship.
Captain of Sorlandet, Tore-Skjelbred-Knudsen, is excited about the visit

The skipper of Norwegian vessel Sorlandet, Captain Tore Skjelbred-Knudsen, is looking forward to the event.

"It's a gathering of these ships, it's a beautiful sight, it's maritime history, we can show that to the people of Aberdeen," he told BBC Scotland News.

"But most of all it's for the young people joining the ships, it's changing their lives."

He added: "As a former student at the University of Aberdeen, I have been truly looking forward to visiting again.

"Even if it is a couple of decades ago, I vividly remember the charm, the friendly people, the vast culture, and all the friends I made during my time there."

Woman - Emma Wadee - with blonde hair and red-framed sunglasses with Aberdeen harbour in the background.
Emma Wadee predicts it will be a great few days for Aberdeen

Emma Wadee, Aberdeen City Council's Tall Ships Project Manager, said: "We hope people will turn out in their thousands again to enjoy everything on offer at The Tall Ships Races and help turn the Granite City into party city from morning to night.

"We know how much the people of Aberdeen love to party - we saw that during the Dons' Scottish Cup victory parade."

Where is the best place to view Tall Ships Aberdeen?

The ships will be berthed in Waterloo Quay, Regent Quay, Trinity Quay, Upper Quay, Jamieson's Quay and Blaikies Quay.

Full details of where each ship will be can be found here.

The main entrance to the harbour area will be via Marischal Street. Many of the ships will be open to visitors during their time in Aberdeen.

What other entertainment is there at Tall Ships Aberdeen?

Deacon Blue, a band, are on stage performing. There is a crowd clapping along.
Deacon Blue played in Aberdeen on Friday evening

Following on from Deacon Blue on Friday night, other gigs will include Kaiser Chiefs.

Additional attractions will include free live music, and street food stalls.

Aside from the main names, other acts include Tide Lines, Calum Bowie, Glasvegas, Brooke Combe, Little Kicks, Capollos and Look Busy Collective.

The event organisers say there will also be a "vibrant" line-up of live music, including Scottish trad, jazz, Afrobeat, hip hop, and Latin soul.

The line-up also features local choirs as well as youth ensembles.

Young children will be catered for with attractions at a family zone at Blaikie's Quay, including a giant sandpit.

People can also get their picture taken with Tall Ships Aberdeen mascot, Dorry the Dolphin, during the festival.

What will Tall Ships Aberdeen travel be like?

Aberdeen city centre is expected to be very busy with tens of thousands of spectators each day.

The organisers are recommending that people use public transport or car share if coming into Aberdeen, and that those staying locally could walk or cycle.

Four regular Park and Ride services will be in operation from Bridge of Don, Craibstone, P&J Live, and Kingswells.

Road closures and parking restrictions will be place on streets around Aberdeen harbour during the course of the event.

Castle Street, King Street, Marischal Street, Regent Quay, Blaikies Quay and Regent Road are among those affected.

Pocra Quay and New Pier Road in Footdee are open to business and resident access only.

You can keep up to date with the latest BBC weather forecast here.

Trump sues Murdoch and Wall Street Journal for $10bn over Epstein article

Getty Images Trump gives a thumbs up at a bill signing ceremony on Friday. Getty Images

President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters, over a report claiming Trump wrote a "bawdy" personal note to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami, names Dow Jones, News Corp and conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, claiming the paper slandered him and violated libel laws.

Earlier, Trump had threatened that he would force Murdoch "to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper".

Trump says the note, which the paper reported he'd sent for Epstein's 50th birthday, is "fake". It comes amid a backlash from his supporters over his handling of the Epstein case files.

Trump acknowledged that he and members of his staff attempted to halt publication of the story. He said the newspaper and Murdoch "were warned directly" they would be sued if they printed the article, describing it as "false, malicious, and defamatory".

The lawsuit also names the two reporters who wrote the story, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.

Earlier on Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing: "I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!"

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a letter bearing Trump's name "contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker".

"Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person," the paper reports.

It reportedly contains a joking reference that "Enigmas never age" and allegedly ends with the words: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Trump denied writing the note after the article was published on Thursday, posting: "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures."

On Friday, Trump declined to answer reporters' questions about his relationship with Epstein, and why he had not ordered the release of more documents.

Instead, he asked the Attorney General to produce documents related to secretive grand jury testimony, which could prove to be a lengthy court process. It's unclear when or if those documents will be released, or if they contain the details Trump's supporters have been demanding be released publicly.

Trump's order concerning grand jury testimony came after days of sustained pressure from some of his most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

Some Trump loyalists have called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after she reversed course on releasing certain documents related to Epstein.

In February, Bondi said that a "client list" belonging to Epstein was "sitting on my desk right now". Then last week, her office announced that there is no such "client list".

Chad Bianco, a Republican sheriff running for California governor, told BBC News that Trump's handling of the Epstein files was "not what I was expecting" and that "millions" of his followers are disappointed.

"We feel like we're being talked down to like stupid children."

Trump and Murdoch have a relationship that goes back decades.

The 94-year-old media tycoon's media empire, which includes Fox News, is often credited with helping propel Trump to the White House.

But the two grew more distant over the years and their relationship started to collapse following Trump's loss at the ballot box in 2020 to Joe Biden.

"We want to make Trump a non-person," Murdoch wrote in an email that emerged during court battles over Fox's role spreading misinformation in the 2020 election.

Trump's more recent victory in 2024 appeared to bring the two together again. During a February visit to the White House, Trump referred to Murdoch as "a class by himself" and "an amazing guy".

On Sunday, the two men were pictured together attending the Fifa World Cup in New Jersey.

Attorney General Bondi was also seen watching the match from the president's private box.

Meanwhile, members of Congress are pushing to pass a "discharge petition" that would force Bondi to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices" relating to Epstein.

The effort has brought together some of Congress's fiercest opponents, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are both signed on as supporters.

Why the Epstein case looms large in MAGA world

Getty Images Image shows Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein at a party in 2000Getty Images
Donald Trump, his now wife Melania, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell pose for a photo in February 2000

When Jack Posobiec walked into the Department of Justice in Washington, DC last February, he thought he would finally get some answers about Jeffrey Epstein.

But when he and other MAGA supporters were given essentially just rehashed, already-public material - and when the government put a damper on the release of any new information this July - they balked.

"We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn't have to be," Posobiec posted on social media on 7 July.

Now, Donald Trump is finding it hard to shake loose the conspiracy theories that have animated his base since he first broke through into Republican politics a decade ago.

Getty Images Jack Posobiec addresses the conservative Turning Point People's Convention on June 16, 2024Getty Images
Jack Posobiec is a vocal MAGA commentator with millions of followers

Posobiec, who emerged from the fringes of the internet in 2016 when he spread false rumours about a child abuse ring based in a Washington DC restaurant - a conspiracy theory that became known as Pizzagate - is just one of many MAGA die-hards who believes officials are hiding key truths about Epstein's life and death.

The disgraced financier and convicted sex offender died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

On a recent podcast hosted by Breitbart News editor Alex Marlow, Posobiec said the MAGA base see this case as shorthand for the thorough rot of the so-called "deep state".

"It's not that they care about Epstein personally," he said. "It's that they care that there's this optic that Epstein was somehow involved with a shadowy system that actually has control over our government, control over our institutions, control of our lives, and really is a ruling power over us."

Over the years, some have claimed that government officials possess files on Epstein that reveal sordid details, including that a "client lint" exists with notable names on it who may have participated in some Epstein's alleged crimes.

Trump has, in the past, played to that crowd. During last year's election campaign, he said he would have "no problem" releasing Epstein case files, and after the election directly answered a question about whether he would "declassify" the files by saying: "Yeah, yeah, I would."

Conspiratorial thinking has been a part of President Trump's movement from the outset. His entry into the once-crowded world of Republican Party politics a decade ago came as he amplified the false theory that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States.

Now, however, the world of conspiracy is biting back.

Watch: Trump calls out "stupid Republicans" in Jeffrey Epstein files saga

Epstein's crimes are real and horrific, and there remains the possibility that further information could emerge about them.

But they have also become subsumed by grander narratives – Pizzagate, and later QAnon, the sprawling interactive conspiracy theory that swamped the internet during Trump's first term, pushing the idea that the highest echelons of society were controlled by a child-abusing elite cabal. The conspiracy theory spread through cryptic messages posted by a pseudonymous character called Q.

Mike Rothschild, author of several books on Trump-era conspiracies, including The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult and Conspiracy of Everything, said Epstein was mentioned in several such messages dating back to late 2017.

"Epstein is seen as one of the major players in a global 'paedo elite' that's been trafficking children for centuries, and that Q and Trump were supposed to put an end to once and for all," he told the BBC.

But after the justice department meeting in February, administration officials, including FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino - who both stoked Epstein rumours for years - started to dampen talk of any major revelations.

Then, on 8 July, the Department of Justice and FBI said in a memo that Epstein's cause of death was suicide and there was no evidence he had a "client list".

The president seemed eager to move on, calling the Epstein case "sordid, but it's boring" while also blaming Democrats for continuing to make it an issue.

Many Trump supporters are happy to follow the president's lead. But a subset of extremely online MAGA supporters are still deeply passionate about the Epstein case.

Several MAGA voices, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have alleged that Epstein was employed by the Israeli security services. And among more extreme elements of the movement, the conspiracy theories around Epstein sometimes veer into the antisemitic.

But Rothschild said most of the people in MAGA world are simply itching for more information – if it indeed exists – about the financier's connections with Bill Clinton and other Democrats and Trump opponents. Epstein cultivated powerful people from both major US political parties.

The long history of MAGA's Epstein obsession mean Trump is now finding it difficult to satisfy the conspiratorial elements in his base.

The story took another twist late on Thursday as The Wall Street Journal reported Trump had sent Epstein a "bawdy" birthday greeting in 2003. The pair's one-time friendship is well-known, but Trump says he cut ties with Epstein long ago and filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters following the report.

Meanwhile, Trump seemed more willing to indulge the conspiracy theorists, posting on Truth Social: "Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval."

There is no doubt that conspiracy theories clearly have the power to motivate some of the president's base. QAnon supporters were among some of the most visible participants at the January 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

In a survey conducted just before last November's election, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) think tank found that nearly a fifth of Americans agree with QAnon-linked statements, including most pointedly: "The government, media, and financial worlds in the US are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping paedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation."

Many see the Epstein case as a confirmation of those views, and the QAnon-believing population is heavily pro-Trump, the PRRI found, with 80% backing the president.

And with that support has come influence. Posobiec, the Pizzagate and Epstein conspiracy theorist who was at the DOJ meeting in February, reportedly accompanied Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on a recent trip to Europe.

He also has been photographed meeting with neo-Nazi's, although he denies being a white nationalist himself.

He did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

He is adamant that Epstein's case is connected to the wider conspiracy world.

"It ties to Covid, it ties to lockdowns, it ties to vaccines," Posobiec said, on the Alex Marlow podcast, which was recorded at a conference last week where multiple speakers brought up Epstein and demanded further revelations.

"It ties to so many different buckets of the anger people are feeling."

Rich Logis, a former longtime Trump supporter who broke ranks and started an organisation called Leaving MAGA, said that these outlandish theories serve "as ties that bind many within the MAGA community", even amongst those who doubt them.

Logis says Trump's dismissal this week of their concerns this left some supporters "feeling confused and stunned".

"They expected Trump to keep his promise and reveal those who allegedly aided and abetted Epstein," he said.

If the Epstein case presents a political quagmire for Trump, there is also a problem for his supporters, particularly the vocal influencer class, in figuring out where to funnel their rage. Targeting the president could backfire when it comes to their own followers.

"Many of the major influencers are furious," Rothschild said, "and while they might not take it out on Trump, they might take it out on the GOP (Republican Party) in general."

Trump has so far stood by Pam Bondi, his attorney general. But she, Patel and Bongino may increasingly feel the pressure if MAGA's conspiracy wing continues to demand more files - whether or not they actually exist.

Trump sues Murdoch and Wall Street Journal over Epstein article

Getty Images Trump gives a thumbs up at a bill signing ceremony on Friday. Getty Images

President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters, over a report claiming Trump wrote a "bawdy" personal note to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami, names Dow Jones, News Corp and conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, claiming the paper slandered him and violated libel laws.

Earlier, Trump had threatened that he would force Murdoch "to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper".

Trump says the note, which the paper reported he'd sent for Epstein's 50th birthday, is "fake". It comes amid a backlash from his supporters over his handling of the Epstein case files.

Trump acknowledged that he and members of his staff attempted to halt publication of the story. He said the newspaper and Murdoch "were warned directly" they would be sued if they printed the article, describing it as "false, malicious, and defamatory".

The lawsuit also names the two reporters who wrote the story, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.

Earlier on Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing: "I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!"

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a letter bearing Trump's name "contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker".

"Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person," the paper reports.

It reportedly contains a joking reference that "Enigmas never age" and allegedly ends with the words: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Trump denied writing the note after the article was published on Thursday, posting: "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures."

On Friday, Trump declined to answer reporters' questions about his relationship with Epstein, and why he had not ordered the release of more documents.

Instead, he asked the Attorney General to produce documents related to secretive grand jury testimony, which could prove to be a lengthy court process. It's unclear when or if those documents will be released, or if they contain the details Trump's supporters have been demanding be released publicly.

Trump's order concerning grand jury testimony came after days of sustained pressure from some of his most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

Some Trump loyalists have called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after she reversed course on releasing certain documents related to Epstein.

In February, Bondi said that a "client list" belonging to Epstein was "sitting on my desk right now". Then last week, her office announced that there is no such "client list".

Chad Bianco, a Republican sheriff running for California governor, told BBC News that Trump's handling of the Epstein files was "not what I was expecting" and that "millions" of his followers are disappointed.

"We feel like we're being talked down to like stupid children."

Trump and Murdoch have a relationship that goes back decades.

The 94-year-old media tycoon's media empire, which includes Fox News, is often credited with helping propel Trump to the White House.

But the two grew more distant over the years and their relationship started to collapse following Trump's loss at the ballot box in 2020 to Joe Biden.

"We want to make Trump a non-person," Murdoch wrote in an email that emerged during court battles over Fox's role spreading misinformation in the 2020 election.

Trump's more recent victory in 2024 appeared to bring the two together again. During a February visit to the White House, Trump referred to Murdoch as "a class by himself" and "an amazing guy".

On Sunday, the two men were pictured together attending the Fifa World Cup in New Jersey.

Attorney General Bondi was also seen watching the match from the president's private box.

Meanwhile, members of Congress are pushing to pass a "discharge petition" that would force Bondi to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices" relating to Epstein.

The effort has brought together some of Congress's fiercest opponents, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are both signed on as supporters.

Amber warning in force as thunderstorms set to bring flash floods

Getty Images Woman walking in heavy rain holding a jacket over her head.Getty Images

Parts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the weekend.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning.

It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power cuts.

The torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared.

This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water.

The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on Saturday.

Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours.

It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road closures.

Lightning strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus cancellations.

Yellow weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern England.

Amber warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less severe.

The last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met Office.

After arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by midday.

Yellow warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm linger.

Last weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex.

One might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.

A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet weather.

Yorkshire's hosepipe ban is expected to last until winter.

Thunderstorms following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations.

The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.

Premature babies to be immunised against winter virus

University Hospital Southampton Ceri is wearing a dark blue top and is smiling at her son Harry, while holding his hands. He is wearing a light blue T-shirt and colourful dungarees and has wavy, auburn hair, and is turning to the side.University Hospital Southampton
Ceri Cox's two-year-old son Harry took part in a trial of the injection

Thousands of premature babies in the UK can now be protected against a common winter virus which can cause a dangerous lung infection, and sometimes kill.

The injection will provide them "with a protective bubble" against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) in time for the colder months, NHS medics said.

Most babies are protected via vaccination late in pregnancy, but babies born before 32 weeks are more vulnerable to life-threatening infections from the virus.

From late September, 9,000 babies and young children at risk across the UK will be offered a dose of the drug nirsevimab through the NHS.

RSV usually causes coughs and colds, but can make some children very ill with breathing problems, pneumonia and a lung infection called bronchiolitis.

According to NHS England, premature babies are three times more likely to go to hospital with RSV and are 10 times more likely to need intensive care compared with full-term babies.

Every year around 30,000 children in the UK aged under five need hospital care because of the virus, and around 30 don't survive.

The drug offers six months' protection in a single dose, and is more than 80% effective.

Neo-natal clinics will deliver the injection to premature babies. Families of vulnerable infants with heart or lung conditions or weakened immune systems will be advised by their medical teams how to get the jab before this winter.

"It will offer a long-lasting defence, helping to avoid unnecessary hospitalisations and serious illness, giving babies the best possible start in life and shielding them from harm," said Dr Claire Fuller, co-national medical director for NHS England.

Last year, a vaccination programme was launched in the UK to protect newborn babies and older people from RSV. Women who are at least 28 weeks' pregnant and people aged 75 to 79 are now offered that vaccine, called abrysvo.

The jab boosts a woman's immune system during pregnancy and protects babies in their first weeks of life.

But babies born prematurely, before 32 weeks, don't have time to build up protection from that vaccine before they're born.

They will be given nirsevimab instead.

Unlike a vaccine, which prompts the body to create antibodies and takes a few weeks to be effective, nirsevimab gives immediate protection from RSV infection.

Ceri Cox, 33, wanted her son, Harry, aged two, to be protected as much as possible against RSV. As a paediatric nurse, she has seen the damage it can do.

"I know quite a bit about the virus from working in a unit where we see a lot of children with RSV every year," she said.

"It's amazing that this immunisation will now be offered to young babies around the country. I hope we will see fewer little ones in our hospital this winter."

Harry took part in an international clinical trial of the immunisation at University Hospital Southampton.

Premature babies and high-risk infants in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from the drug.

What are the symptoms of RSV?

They usually start within a few days of being infected.

Most people only get cold-like symptoms, such as:

  • a runny or blocked nose
  • a cough
  • sneezing
  • tiredness
  • a high temperature – signs include your back or chest feeling hotter than usual, sweatiness and shivering (chills)

Babies with RSV may also be irritable and feed less than usual.

If RSV leads to a more serious infection (such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis) it may also cause:

  • a cough that gets worse
  • shortness of breath
  • faster breathing or long gaps between breaths
  • difficulty feeding (in babies) or loss of appetite
  • noisy breathing (wheezing)
  • confusion (in older adults)

Source: NHS UK website

'Gangsta Debbs' - the granny who used her family to run an £80m drug empire

Met Police Composite showing eight people. They are: Tina Golding, Lillie Bright, Deborah Mason, Demi Kendall, Demi Bright, Anita Slaughter, Reggie Bright and Roseanne Mason.Met Police

In the early hours of an April morning in 2023 undercover officers watched as a woman loaded boxes into a hire car at a retail park near the port of Harwich in Essex.

They'd received a tip-off about the car which had travelled from Islington that night.

The car was driven on towards Ipswich, where the woman handed over a heavy laundry bag to an unknown man. She did not look like someone you'd expect to be carrying out a drug deal - her defence barrister said she "was undoubtedly singled out as someone who would not catch the eye".

That woman was Deborah Mason, known to family as Gangsta Debbs or Queen Bee: a grandmother and the matriarch of a crime family that operated across south east England.

Mason had recruited her four children, her sister and others close to the family to help supply cocaine around the country - funding a lavish lifestyle which included Gucci designer goods bought for her cat and a £192 Bugatti kettle.

On Friday, the 65-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Woolwich Crown Court.

The rest of the gang received sentences of between 10 and 15 years for the same charge.

Metropolitan Police Deborah Mason, a woman with shortish grey hair who is standing against a white wall and wearing a green, black and white speckled top as well as dark-rimmed glasses.Metropolitan Police
Deborah Mason referred to herself as Gangsta Debbs. Her daughter, Demi Bright, had her mother's number saved in her phone as 'Queen Bee'

The Metropolitan Police watched Mason for seven months after that morning in Harwich, as she and her family-run gang completed cocaine and class A drug pick-ups at ports - mainly Harwich - but also Folkstone and Dover.

The pattern was often the same. Tightly-wrapped packages of cocaine would be collected, divided between supermarket bags for life and then delivered to the next person in the chain.

Police watched the gang complete drop-offs in south London, Cardiff, Bristol, Sheffield, Rotherham, Manchester, Bradford, Southend, Leicester and Walsall.

One man arrested by police in Leicester shortly after a handover was found with 10kg (22lbs) of cocaine. Other trips would be to collect their "wages" as they described it.

Met Police Tightly packages of cocaine are placed into a tartan-style bag for life. Three of the five packages have been busted open to show a white powder coming out of itMet Police
The gang were caught supplying nearly a tonne of cocaine over seven months

In total the drugs the gang handled were worth £25m-£30m at wholesale, with a street value of up to £80m, the prosecution said during Friday's sentencing hearing.

The court heard the gang had used aliases to communicate with each other and with their supplier - a man known only as "Bugsy" - on the encrypted messaging app, Signal.

Mason enjoyed a close relationship with "Bugsy" and even went on holiday with him to Dubai and Bahrain in October 2023.

Over a seven-month period, Mason carried out 20 trips transporting at least 356kg cocaine, as well as delivering and collecting cash.

Judge Philip Shorrock said Mason had a "leading role", and described her as "the site foreman working under a project manager".

"As a mother you should have been setting an example to your children, not corrupting them," he said.

The court heard Mason did not buy drugs herself, but was part of the direction of multi-kilo transactions.

Prosecutor Charlotte Hole said: "She also organised those who drove for her – staying in phone contact from the early hours to make sure they were up, and checking in on them during the day."

A graphic showing a family tree of mugshots showing the connections between Deborah Mason and her family drug ring. At the top and centre is Deborah Mason 'Queen Bee'; to her left and unconnected by a line is Anita Slaughter friend, on Mason's right connected by a line is Tina Golding sister. 
Below Mason connected by lines are Roseanne Mason daughter, Demi Bright daughter, Reggie Bright son, and Lillie Bright Daughter. Connected to Reggie is Demi Kendall, Reggie's partner. Connected to Lillie is Chloe Hodgkin Lillie's partner. There is no picture of Hodgkin.

Lavish lifestyle

Financial gain was the motivation and police said Mason had spent extravagantly -including on designer clothing, bags and accessories.

Among these were a £390 Gucci collar and lead, and a nine-carat gold engraved name tag for Mason's Bengal cat, Ghost.

When she was arrested, footage showed her being handcuffed in her bathroom next to a designer DKNY towel.

At the same time the conspiracy was taking place Mason received £50,000 in benefits, Ms Hole told the court.

Mason "expressed a desire to go to Turkey for cosmetic procedures" and took a "cut of the wages of others", Ms Hole said.

She booked holidays with her sister to Cornwall, Malta, Prague and Poland, and took her daughters to Dubai where they continued to direct operations in the UK via Facetime.

Watch: Drug dealing grandmother Deborah Mason arrested

'No ordinary family'

Mason, whose number was saved in one of her children's phones under the name Queen Bee, involved her three daughters, her son, and two of their partners in the conspiracy. They are all now starting lengthy prison sentences behind bars. A friend, Anita Slaughter, 44, has also been jailed.

Mason's son, Reggie Bright, 24, delivered at least 90kg of cocaine over 12 trips, often travelling alongside his partner, Demi Kendall, 31, or his sister Lillie Bright, 27, as well as his mother.

"He used the Signal alias 'Frank' and was clearly known to and in direct contact with the upstream supplier," Ms Hole said, adding the gang were paid about £1,000 per trip by Mason.

She added that Reggie Bright and Demi Kendall were also caught running their own separate drugs line from their caravans in Kent - in breach of a previous suspended sentence order imposed on them for drug-related offences.

A composite showing a hand holding several bundles of £20 notes, a black and grey cat, a leg with a black and white trainer and a sleek white kettle
Among Deborah Mason's purchases were a cat called Ghost, trainers and a Bugatti kettle

The prosecution argued Mason's eldest daughter Demi Bright had a significant role in operations, delivering about 60kg of cocaine, although she was not as active as other family members as she had other sources of income.

Mason's other daughters, Roseanne Mason and Lillie Bright, were also found guilty. Rosanne Mason, 30, took part in seven identified trips - including to Bradford and Manchester. Lillie Bright made 20 identified trips and the court heard she had a "clear expectation of significant financial advantage".

Lillie Bright involved her partner Chloe Hodgkin - who the court heard will be sentenced at a later date once she has given birth.

In mitigation, each defence lawyer argued that all involved were "expendable" compared with the wider drug enterprise, and that most of the children were "couriers" making trips across the UK.

This was "no ordinary family", as specialist prosecutor Robert Hutchinson said. "Instead of nurturing and caring for her relatives, Deborah Mason recruited them to establish an extraordinarily profitable criminal enterprise that would ultimately put them all behind bars."

Ms Hole said there was no suggestion of pressure or coercion for any of them to be part of the conspiracy, and all had been motivated by financial benefit.

They were given the following sentences:

  • Reggie Bright, 24, of Staplehurst, Kent, 15 years
  • Demi Kendall, 31, of Staplehurst, 13-and-a-half years
  • Lillie Bright, 26, of Ashford, Kent, 13 years
  • Anita Slaughter, 44, Ashford, 13 years
  • Demi Bright, 30, of Ashford, 11 years
  • Roseanne Mason, 29, of Canonbury, north London, 11 years
  • Tina Golding, 66, Ashford, 10 years
  • Chloe Hodgkin, 23, of Wye, Kent, to be sentenced at a later date.

Met Police's Det Con Jack Kraushaar, who led the investigation, described Mason's operation as "sophisticated" and said it was "extremely profitable for those involved".

"The group were sucked into criminality," he said, "selfishly attracted by the financial benefits of the drug-dealing to fund lavish lifestyles."

'The village will die' - Italy looks for answers to decline in number of babies

BBC View of Fregona from mayor's officeBBC
Fregona, viewed from the mayor's office, has a shrinking population

Winding down the narrow main street of his north Italian town, Giacomo de Luca points to the businesses that have closed: two supermarkets, a barbershop, restaurants – all with shutters drawn and faded signs above their doors.

The pretty town of Fregona at the foot of the mountains is emptying out like many here, as Italians have fewer children and increasingly migrate to bigger places or move abroad.

Now the local primary school is at risk and the mayor is worried.

"The new Year One can't go ahead because there are only four children. They want to shut it down," De Luca explains. The minimum class size to get funding is 10 children.

"The drop in births and in the population has been very, very sharp."

The mayor calculates that the population of Fregona, an hour's drive north of Venice, has shrunk by almost a fifth in the past decade.

By June this year there were just four new births and most of the 2,700 or so remaining residents are elderly, from the men drinking their morning prosecco to the women filling their bags with chicory and tomatoes at the weekly market.

Mayor Giacomo de Luca, a man in a navy blue polo shirt, stands in front of buildings
Giacomo de Luca is worried about the future of Fregona's primary school

For De Luca, closing the school reception class would be a tide-turner: if the children leave Fregona to study, he fears they will never look back.

So he's been touring the surrounding area, even visiting a nearby pizza factory, trying to persuade parents to send their children to his town and help keep the school open.

"I'm offering to pick them up with a minibus, we've offered for children to stay at school until six in the evening, all paid for by the council," the mayor told the BBC, his sense of urgency obvious.

"I'm worried. Little by little, if things keep going like this, the village will die."

Nationwide problem

Italy's demographic crisis extends far beyond Fregona and it is deepening.

Over the past decade, the population nationwide has contracted by almost 1.9 million and the number of births has fallen for 16 consecutive years.

On average, Italian women are now having just 1.18 babies, the lowest level ever recorded. That's under the EU average fertility rate of 1.38 and far below the 2.1 needed to sustain the population.

Despite its efforts to encourage childbirth, and much talk of family-friendly politics, Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government has been unable to stop the slide.

"You have to think a lot before having a baby," Valentina Dottor admits when we meet on Fregona's main square, her 10-month-old daughter Diletta cooing in a pushchair.

Valentina, a woman with dark hair and glasses, holds a baby in a pink jumper.
Valentina is due to return to work soon, and her daughter Diletta will be cared for by family

Valentina gets an allowance of around €200 (£175) a month for Diletta's first year, but just missed out on the government's new Baby Bonus of €1,000 for children born in 2025.

There are new tax breaks, too, and longer parental leave.

But Valentina now needs to return to work and says accessing affordable childcare is still very tough.

"There are not many babies, but not many kindergarten [places] either," she says. "I am lucky to have my grandmother take care of my daughter. If not, I don't know where I would leave her."

That's why her friends are wary of motherhood.

"It's difficult - because of work, schools, the money," Valentina says. "There is some help, but it's not enough to have babies.

"It won't solve the problem."

Self-help schemes

Some companies in the Veneto region have taken matters into their own hands.

A short drive down into the valley from Fregona is a big industrial estate filled with small and medium-sized firms, many run by families.

Irinox, a blast chiller manufacturer, spotted the parenting problem long ago and decided to act rather than lose valuable workers.

The firm joined forces with seven others to create a creche a short walk from the factory floor – not free, but heavily discounted and convenient. It was the first of its kind in Italy.

Melania, a woman with long dark hair and glasses, is seen in front of a factory floor
Irinox employee Melania was able to use the creche near her workplace

"Knowing I had the chance to put my son two minutes from here was very important, because I can reach him any time, very fast," one of the firm's finance bosses, Melania Sandrin, explains.

Without the creche she would have struggled to return to work: she didn't want to lean on her own parents, and state kindergartens won't generally take children for a full day.

"There's also a priority list… and there are few, few places," Melania says.

Like Valentina, she and her friends delayed having children into their late 30s, keen to establish their careers, and Melania isn't sure she'd have a second baby, even now. "It's not easy," she says.

Later childbirth, a growing trend here, is another factor in lowering fertility.

All of that is why CEO Katia da Ros thinks Italy needs to make "massive changes" to address its population problem.

"It's not the €1,000 payments that make a difference, but having services like free kindergartens. If we want to change the situation we need strong action," she says.

Katia da Ros, a woman with dark hair in a white shirt
Irinox boss Katia da Ros says greater changes are needed to enable Italians to have more babies

The other solution is increased immigration, which is far more contentious for Meloni's government.

More than 40% of the workers at Irinox are already from abroad.

A map on the factory wall dotted with pins shows they come from Mongolia to Burkina Faso. Barring an unlikely sudden surge in childbirth, Katia da Ros argues Italy – like Veneto – will need more foreign workers to drive its economy.

"The future will be like that."

End of a school era

Even immigration couldn't save a school in nearby Treviso.

Last month, Pascoli Primary shut its doors for good because there weren't enough pupils to sustain it.

School closing ceremony - men in Alpine hats hold a flag and a bugle
A ceremony was held to mark the closure of this school in Treviso, where pupil numbers had fallen

Just 27 children gathered on the school steps for a final ceremony marked by an Alpine bugler with a feather in his hat, who sounded the Last Post as the Italian flag was lowered.

"It's a sad day," Eleanora Franceschi said, collecting her 8-year-old daughter for one last time. From September, she'll have to travel much further to a different school.

Eleanora doesn't believe the falling birthrate alone is to blame: she says Pascoli school didn't teach in the afternoons, making life harder for working parents who then moved their children elsewhere.

The headteacher has another explanation.

"This area has been transformed because many people from abroad came here," Luana Scarfi told the BBC, referring to two decades of migration to the Veneto region with multiple factories and plenty of jobs.

Headteacher Luana Scarfi, a woman in a white top with blonde hair
Headteacher Luana Scarfi says there are many reasons behind the falling school rolls

"Some [families] then decided to go to other schools where the immigration index was less high."

"Over the years, we had lower and lower people who decided to come to this school," the headmistress says, in English, hinting at tensions.

A UN prediction suggests Italy's population will drop by about five million in the next 25 years, from 59 million. It's ageing, too, increasing the strain on the economy.

Government measures to tackle that have so far only scratched the surface.

But Eleanora argues parents like her need a lot more help with services, not just cash handouts, for a start.

An older man, a mum and a daughter are seen in front of a building
Eleanora, seen with her daughter and father, says seeing her child's school close was a sad day

"We get monthly cheques but we need practical support, too, like free summer camps for the children," she says, pointing to the three-month school holiday from June that can be a nightmare for parents who work.

"The government wants a bigger population but at the same time, they're not helping," Eleanora says.

"How can we have more babies in this situation?"

Produced by Davide Ghiglione.

Triple dog attack left me with nightmares, says survivor

William Newbury was mauled as he tried to save a mum and baby from an attack by three dogs

Dog attack survivors have described the devastating physical and mental impact of their injuries, as new data shows thousands have sought medical treatment for dog attacks over the past five years.

William Newbury, 22, who was attacked by three dogs in April and suffered severe injuries across his body, said the ordeal had left him unable to cope.

"I'm unable to work and as a result I'm down more than £8,000. I'm also struggling with being at home all the time," said Mr Newbury, who lost the use of two fingers in the attack.

Police forces across England and Wales have seen an increase in the number of dog attacks on people during the past five years.

Warning: Article contains graphic images of dog bites

Mr Newbury, from Cardiff, was visiting a friend and her baby when they were attacked by three dogs and he stepped in to protect them.

"The support coming out of hospital was phenomenal, but now I'm not coping," said Mr Newbury, who has been unable to return to his job in security since the attack.

"It's affected my confidence, when I'm out I get funny looks because I have scars on my arms, and it makes me want to wear a jumper so no-one can see it," he added.

Mr Newbury said while colleagues, friends and family had been supportive, people generally "don't understand the aftermath".

He said he was paying for weekly counselling sessions due to NHS waiting lists.

The Welsh government said it was making progress to reducing waiting times for mental health services in the face of increasing demand for support.

William Newbury William, with dark hair and a beard, lies in an ambulance. He is covered by a blanket and has wires from machines connected to his body. His hand is covered in blood. He is smiling towards the camera.William Newbury
William Newbury says many don't understand the long term effects of a dog attack

Mr Newbury said his experience meant he looked for what he described as "safe spaces" when he leaves his home.

"I still love dogs but naturally I'm wary of them. I love dogs from a distance, shall we say."

He added: "The other day I went for a walk through St David's shopping centre, and parked there because I know dogs aren't in there unless it's for a medical reason like a guide dog."

He said he had been overwhelmed by kind gestures and comments which he was incredibly grateful for.

A garage in Cardiff replaced his car key - which was damaged in the attack - for free, while another company sent him a free watch.

"They said they knew how tough it was for me to be stuck inside, so that it's something to look at to cheer me up."

He said his girlfriend Jamie-lee, who witnessed the attack through the window, had helped him with everything since leaving hospital.

"I don't know where I'd be without her," he added.

BBC Wales requested information from health boards in Wales which showed 2,910 people sought medical treatment for a dog bite or attack over the last five years.

The latest data for England showed there were more than 43,000 reports of dog attacks made by health boards and trusts from 2020 to November 2024.

Police forces across England and Wales have also seen an increase in the number of dog attacks on people during the past five years.

There were 32,568 recorded offences in 2024 - a 4% increase on 2023's total of 31,398, according to Freedom of Information figures obtained by the BBC from every police force in England and Wales.

The actual attack figures are likely to be higher as the data only counts incidents that were reported to police.

'Dogs can pose a serious risk'

Prof Vivien Lees, vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said the severity of injuries caused by dog attacks could vary greatly.

"In the most severe cases patients may require reconstructive surgery and long-term rehabilitation to regain mobility and quality of life," said Prof Lees.

"There is an ongoing need for awareness and vigilance. Dogs can pose a serious risk, particularly when they are poorly trained, neglected, or mistreated."

Erin Evans, 22, from Gwynedd, was bitten by a dog on her face four years ago while out with friends.

"It's a bit of a blank, I just remember there was loads of blood and then I collapsed," said Ms Evans.

It left her needing four years of surgery to reconstruct her top lip.

"When it started to sink in what had happened, I started feeling really low. Looking back I should have asked for help," Ms Evans said.

Erin Evans Erin Evans has a plaster over her top lip where there are visible extensive injuries and bruising. She has long dark hair and is sat in a dark room with a window behind her. Erin Evans
Erin was attacked by a dog four years ago and says she remains wary of dogs

The attack led to Ms Evans dropping out of her nursing degree and losing confidence.

"I used to be bubbly and happy all the time, but I really struggled and couldn't carry on. I was constantly back and forth to the hospital and found it hard to talk about."

She said she still experienced flashbacks and was wary of dogs, despite having three herself and being an animal lover.

"After what I've been through I'm cautious, but I still love all breeds of dogs."

Once she had the all clear from the NHS that her reconstructive procedures had healed, Ms Evans had a cosmetic tattoo on her lip.

"Before I'd try to hide my lip, but I'm not like that anymore, I even get lots of compliments now," she said.

Erin Evans Erin Evans, who has long brown hair and green eyes and has taken a selfie sitting in her car after having many operations to repair her lip. She looks away from the camera with a neutral expressionErin Evans
Erin Evans says surgery and a cosmetic tattoo has restored her self confidence

Imogen Hughes, a permanent make up artist based in Conwy who carried out the cosmetic work on Ms Evans' lips, said she focused on making them appear "more symmetrical".

A before and after social media post online by Ms Hughes of the work has had more than a million views, thousands of likes and hundreds of positive comments.

"I had so many messages that week from girls who had similar experiences, including as far as the US," said Ms Hughes.

However, she warned that this sort of tattooing could be complex.

"The last thing you want to do is add any more trauma to the area, so seek reviews and healed results from companies you're interested in," she added.

Ms Evans has since graduated from a degree in childhood and youth studies, and said she felt much more positive about the future.

"I wish someone had been there to tell me it would get better, and now I want to do that for other people," she said.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line for details of organisations who can offer support.

Sylvanian Families' legal battle over TikTok sex, drugs and murder videos

Epoch Company Ltd Sylvanian Families characters outside a houseEpoch Company Ltd

Sylvanian Families has become embroiled in a legal battle with a TikTok creator who makes comedic videos of the children's toys in dark and debauched storylines.

The fluffy creatures, launched in 1985, have become a childhood classic. But the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account sees them acting out adult sketches involving drink, drugs, cheating, violence and even murder.

The Japanese maker of the toys, Epoch Company Ltd, filed a copyright infringement case in the US saying the videos are causing "irreparable injury" to its reputation.

The owner of the TikTok account, Thea Von Engelbrechten, from Ireland, filed a counternotice claiming her works were "parody".

The skits are such a hit that the account has 2.5 million followers and the videos have racked up 68 million likes. Sylvanian Drama also has accounts on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.

It has partnered with major brands including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Netflix and Hilton for advertising posts.

Sylvanian Drama A screenshot of the Sylvanian Drama TikTok account showing three videos. The first is of a Sylvanian Families fluffy cat with the words 'Wanna get a piercing?' The second is of a mouse wearing a green graduation outfit with the words 'I have no desire to work'. The third is of a cat looking at a bottle of wine that has fallen over with the words 'My marriage is falling apart.'Sylvanian Drama
Videos on the Sylvanian Drama account have millions of likes

Sylvanian Families are marketed as "an adorable range of distinctive animal characters with charming and beautiful homes, furniture and accessories".

They live in stylish houses surrounded by luscious greenery, woodland, a meadow and a river.

Characters have names like Freya the Chocolate Rabbit girl, Ambrose the Walnut Squirrel baby and Pino the Latte Cat baby.

They usually have wholesome adventures with stories entitled Picnic by the sea, Surprise shopping trip and Ice cream for everyone.

'Insecure people, diet culture, toxic men'

But the SylvanianDrama TikTok account sees the creatures in costumes and fake eyelashes, with captions saying things like "My marriage is falling apart" and "My boyfriend won't post me on Instagram".

Court documents filed by Epoch with the Southern District of New York on 4 July and seen by the BBC accuse Ms Von Engelbrechten of infringing the company's copyright without its permission, causing irreparable injury to its goodwill and reputation.

The court document states that in an interview with influencer marketing company Fohr, Ms Von Engelbrechten said her inspiration for the storylines came from "cringey TV shows and early 2000s comedy".

She went on: "I'm also really inspired by my cats because they are extremely sassy and self-obsessed and can be so cute, but they also have no morals when it comes to killing other animals. I try to embody that with the Sylvanians."

Asked why she thought her videos were so popular she told Fohr: "Maybe it's because it's coming from the voice of a 22-year-old who struggles with the same things as [they do]. I have a lot of storylines about insecure people, diet culture, toxic men, and sustainability, which I think other girls my age are also thinking a lot about."

A date has been set for 14 August for a pre-trial conference. This is when legal teams from both sides meet to explore settlement options or prepare the case for trial.

Epoch Company Ltd and Ms Von Engelbrechten did not respond to the BBC's requests for comment.

Thousands of Afghans won't be compensated by UK for data breach

EPA Supporters of the Taliban, some carrying guns and the white flag, celebrate the third anniversary of the group's takeover of Afghanistan.EPA
Thousands of Afghans could be at risk of reprisal from the Taliban following the leak

Thousands of Afghans whose personal details were leaked but who were not evacuated to Britain are not expected to receive any compensation.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will "robustly defend against any legal action or compensation", a spokesperson told the BBC, adding that these were "hypothetical claims".

The MoD will also not proactively give small payouts to people whose lives were put in danger after the February 2022 leak, the Times reported.

The names and details of more than 19,000 people were leaked, with many Afghans now saying they fear retribution from the Taliban.

The spokesperson added that an independent review, known as the Rimmer review, commissioned by the Defence Secretary John Healey found: "It is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted."

This week, Healey announced the lifting of a super-injunction that made it illegal to both publicise the leak and refer to the existence of the court order.

That came after the completion of the Rimmer review, which concluded: "There is little evidence of intent by the Taliban to conduct a campaign of retribution against former officials."

The largest lawsuit is being prepared by Barings Law, a firm that has more than 1,000 Afghan clients, according to The Times.

It is unclear how many of those clients are currently in Afghanistan.

The leak occurred when an unnamed official emailed the spreadsheet outside of the government team processing Afghan relocation applications and it made its way into the public domain.

Knowledge of the leak only emerged in August 2023, when the names of nine people who had applied to move to the UK appeared on Facebook.

The Taliban leadership continues to face international isolation due to its human rights abuses, especially those targeting women. Russia is the only country that recognises the current Afghan government, and the British embassy to Kabul has remained close since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

An Afghan man who had been turned down for relocation was responsible for sharing the names on Facebook, and was offered an expedited review of his application in return for taking it down, the BBC reported last week.

More than 100 British officials, including members of the special forces and MI6, were compromised in the same data breach.

Since the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, more than 36,000 Afghans have moved to the UK. Of those, more than 16,000 individuals were deemed to have been at risk from the leak, the MoD confirmed to the BBC.

The government has so far spent £400m on the scheme to relocate Afghans.

But the total cost of relocating all Afghans is expected to rise to around £5.5-£6bn, according to the government.

Trump administration asks court to release some Epstein documents

Getty Images Trump gives a thumbs up at a bill signing ceremony on Friday. Getty Images

President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters, over a report claiming Trump wrote a "bawdy" personal note to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami, names Dow Jones, News Corp and conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, claiming the paper slandered him and violated libel laws.

Earlier, Trump had threatened that he would force Murdoch "to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper".

Trump says the note, which the paper reported he'd sent for Epstein's 50th birthday, is "fake". It comes amid a backlash from his supporters over his handling of the Epstein case files.

Trump acknowledged that he and members of his staff attempted to halt publication of the story. He said the newspaper and Murdoch "were warned directly" they would be sued if they printed the article, describing it as "false, malicious, and defamatory".

The lawsuit also names the two reporters who wrote the story, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.

Earlier on Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing: "I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!"

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a letter bearing Trump's name "contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker".

"Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person," the paper reports.

It reportedly contains a joking reference that "Enigmas never age" and allegedly ends with the words: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Trump denied writing the note after the article was published on Thursday, posting: "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures."

On Friday, Trump declined to answer reporters' questions about his relationship with Epstein, and why he had not ordered the release of more documents.

Instead, he asked the Attorney General to produce documents related to secretive grand jury testimony, which could prove to be a lengthy court process. It's unclear when or if those documents will be released, or if they contain the details Trump's supporters have been demanding be released publicly.

Trump's order concerning grand jury testimony came after days of sustained pressure from some of his most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

Some Trump loyalists have called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after she reversed course on releasing certain documents related to Epstein.

In February, Bondi said that a "client list" belonging to Epstein was "sitting on my desk right now". Then last week, her office announced that there is no such "client list".

Chad Bianco, a Republican sheriff running for California governor, told BBC News that Trump's handling of the Epstein files was "not what I was expecting" and that "millions" of his followers are disappointed.

"We feel like we're being talked down to like stupid children."

Trump and Murdoch have a relationship that goes back decades.

The 94-year-old media tycoon's media empire, which includes Fox News, is often credited with helping propel Trump to the White House.

But the two grew more distant over the years and their relationship started to collapse following Trump's loss at the ballot box in 2020 to Joe Biden.

"We want to make Trump a non-person," Murdoch wrote in an email that emerged during court battles over Fox's role spreading misinformation in the 2020 election.

Trump's more recent victory in 2024 appeared to bring the two together again. During a February visit to the White House, Trump referred to Murdoch as "a class by himself" and "an amazing guy".

On Sunday, the two men were pictured together attending the Fifa World Cup in New Jersey.

Attorney General Bondi was also seen watching the match from the president's private box.

Meanwhile, members of Congress are pushing to pass a "discharge petition" that would force Bondi to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices" relating to Epstein.

The effort has brought together some of Congress's fiercest opponents, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are both signed on as supporters.

Syrian presidency to send new force to halt clashes in south

Getty Images Syrian military and security forces in Suweida. Photo: 15 July 2025Getty Images
Syrian military and security forces in Suweida. Photo: 15 July 2025

The Syrian presidency says it will deploy a new force to halt the deadly sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the south of the country.

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's office urged "all parties to exercise restraint", amid reports of renewed fighting near the city of Suweida on Friday.

Almost 600 people are reported to have been killed since the violence erupted on Sunday. Government troops deployed to the area were accused by residents of killing Druze civilians and carrying out extrajudicial executions.

Israel later struck targets in Syria to force the troops to withdraw from Suweida province. On Friday, the US ambassador to Turkey said that Israel and Syria had agreed a ceasefire.

In a post on X, ambassador Tom Barrack said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sharaa "have agreed to a ceasefire" embraced by Syria's neighbours Turkey and Jordan.

"We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," the envoy said.

Israel and Syria have not publicly commented on the reported ceasefire agreement.

Shortly before Sharaa's office announced its planned military deployment to the south, an Israeli official said Israel had agreed to allow the limited entry of Syrian Internal Security Forces personnel into Suweida for 48 hours to protect Druze civilians "in light of the ongoing instability".

Suweida's predominantly Druze community follows a secretive, unique faith derived from Shia Islam, and distrusts the current jihadist-led government in Damascus.

The BBC correspondent in the Syrian capital says that sectarian hatred of the Druze is now spreading across the country.

The Druze are a minority in Syria, as well as in neighbouring Lebanon and Israel.

Earlier this week, the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, said his office had received credible reports indicating widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings in Suweida.

Among the alleged perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim government, as well as local Druze and Bedouin armed elements, Türk said in a statement.

"This bloodshed and the violence must stop," he warned, adding that "those responsible must be held to account".

The BBC has contacted the Syrian government and security forces about allegations of summary killings and other violations.

In a televised address early on Thursday, Sharaa vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable and promised to make protecting the Druze a "priority".

"We are eager to hold accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people because they are under the protection and responsibility of the state," he said.

He went on to blame "outlaw groups", saying their leaders "rejected dialogue for many months".

Officers attacked at Epping asylum hotel protest, say police

BBC A large group of people walking. BBC
Crowds gathered at the scene in Epping on Thursday

Hundreds of people have taken part in protests near a hotel used to house asylum seekers in a town.

Protesters from far-right and pro-refugee groups gathered in Epping, Essex, on Thursday.

BBC Essex political reporter Simon Dedman, who was at the scene, estimated there were about 40 pro-refugee protesters and about 400 members of far-right groups.

Essex Police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of affray at the protest.

Simon Dedman/BBC A group of people stand together with some holding banners that read "Refugees Welcome - Stop the far right". They are standing beside a building with flowers on the roof, and a green space behind it.  Simon Dedman/BBC
About 40 pro-refugee demonstrators attended a protest in Epping on Thursday

"Our officers have been at a planned protest in Epping throughout the afternoon today, and are now aware of some protestors using fireworks and eggs in the crowds," said a police spokesperson.

"We have closed a section of High Road, Epping, for the safety of the public and those protesting."

The spokesperson added: "One man has already been arrested at today's protest on suspicion of affray."

Chris Whitbread, the Conservative leader of Epping Forest District Council, had called for an end to a hotel in the area being used to house asylum seekers.

He was joined by two local Conservative MPs - Epping Forest's Neil Hudson and Alex Burghart, who represents Brentwood and Ongar. They claimed the Home Office did not understand the "seriousness of this situation".

It followed the arrest of an asylum seeker on suspicion of alleged sexual assaults in the town.

Weyman Bennett, a member of Stand Up To Racism who attended the rally, said: "Britain is a peaceful country in which people should be allowed to go about their business without being attacked."

Millie Smith, who lives in Epping and attended the rally, said: "There has been a lot of misinterpretation of who is here and why they are here."

Ch Supt Simon Anslow said: "Disruption and offending is never an appropriate response, no matter the strength of feeling in this case, and on this issue."

The Home Office said it has "begun to restore order [to the asylum system], with a rapid increase in asylum decision-making and the removal of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK".

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

US tech CEO suspended after Coldplay concert embrace goes viral

Awkward moment for couple on screen at Coldplay gig

A US tech company announced that it has launched an investigation after a big screen embrace at a Coldplay concert - rumoured to involve two of its employees, including its CEO - went viral.

In the clip, which initially appeared on a giant screen at the Boston concert, two people are seen with their arms wrapped around each other.

When their faces appear for thousands to see, the man and woman abruptly duck and hide from the camera.

Reports that both are executives at the company Astronomer and rumours of an affair sparked by the band leader's comment, then spread online, but the information remains unverified by the company.

The video of the pair swaying to music, then quickly trying to hide exploded on the internet after the concert on Wednesday night.

Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, after seeing the pair hide, said to the crowd: "Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy."

The initial video posted to TikTok received millions of views. It was then shared across platforms, turned into memes and made fun of on television programs.

Two days after the internet became inundated with chatter about the embrace, Astronomer put out its own statement announcing an investigation into the matter, without specifying the video.

"Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding," the statement read. "Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly."

The man in the video is rumoured in multiple reports to be Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who has been with the company since July 2023. Mr Byron himself has not confirmed his identity in the video. The woman was identified online as Kristin Cabot, the company's chief people officer, who has been with Astronomer since November 2024.

She has not confirmed her identity either. The BBC has been unable to confirm the identities of the people in the video.

The Astronomer statement added that Mr Byron had not released a personal statement, and that reports otherwise were incorrect. It also said no other employees were in the video.

Fake statements from Mr Byron went viral on Thursday.

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