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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iman al-Nouri's youngest son, two-year-old Siraj, woke up crying from hunger on Thursday and asked to get some nutritional supplements.

Siraj's 14-year-old cousin, Sama, agreed to take him and two of his older brothers - Omar, nine, and Amir, five - to the Altayara health clinic in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

"The [medical] point was still closed, so they were sitting on the pavement when suddenly we heard the sound of the strike," Iman told a local journalist working for the BBC.

"I went to [my husband] and said: 'Your children, Hatim! They went to the point.'"

Warning: This piece contains graphic descriptions of death and violence

Iman, a 32-year-old mother of five, rushed to the scene after hearing the strike, only to find her sons and niece lying on a donkey cart that was being used to transport casualties to the hospital because there were no ambulances.

Amir and Sama were among the dead, while Omar and Siraj were seriously wounded.

"Omar still had some breath in him. They tried to revive him," Iman recalled. "Omar needed blood, and it took them an hour to get it. They gave it to him, but it was in vain."

"Why are they gone? Why? What did they do wrong?" she asked.

"They had dreams just like any other children in the world. If you gave them a small toy, they'd be so happy. They were just kids."

Iman said Siraj's head was bleeding and he had lost an eye – an image that she cannot now get out of her head.

"He had fractures in his skull and... according to the doctor, not just bleeding, but [a major haemorrhage] on his brain," she added. "How long can he stay like this, living on oxygen? Two are already gone. If only he could help me hold on a little longer."

Tragically, doctors have said they are unable to treat Siraj.

"Since yesterday at 07:00 until now, he's in the same condition. He's still breathing, his chest rises and falls, he still has breath in him. Save him!" she pleaded.

A spokesperson for the US-based aid group Project Hope, which runs the Altayara clinic, told the BBC that the strike happened at around 07:15.

Women and children were waiting outside before it opened at 09:00, in order to be first in line for nutrition and other health services, Dr Mithqal Abutaha said.

CCTV footage of the Israeli air strike shows two men walking along a street, just metres away from a group of women and children. Moments later, there is an explosion next to the men and the air is filled with dust and smoke.

In a graphic video showing the aftermath of the attack, many dead and severely wounded children and adults are seen lying on the ground.

"Please get my daughter an ambulance," one woman calls out as she tends to a young girl. But for many it was too late for help."

Dr Abutaha said 16 people were killed, including 10 children and three women.

The Israeli military said it targeted a "Hamas terrorist" and that it regretted any harm to what it called "uninvolved individuals", while adding that the incident was under review.

Project Hope said the strike was "a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and a stark reminder that no one and no place is safe in Gaza".

Dr Abutaha said it was "unbearable" when he found out that people were killed "where they [were] seeking their basic humanitarian and human rights".

He questioned the Israeli military's statement on the strike, including its expression of regret, saying that it "cannot bring those patients, those beneficiaries back alive".

He also said that the clinic was a UN-recognised, "deconflicted humanitarian facility", and that no military actions should have taken place nearby.

Iman said her children used to go to the clinic every two or three days to get nutritional supplements because she and Hatim were not able to give them enough food.

"Their father risks his life just to bring them flour. When he goes to Netzarim [military corridor north of Deir al-Balah], my heart breaks. He goes there to bring food or flour."

"Does anyone have anything? There's no food. What else would make a child scream if he didn't want something?"

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

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

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

Dr Abutaha said Project Hope had also noticed an alarming rise in cases of malnutrition among adults, which they had not observed before in Gaza.

In addition to allowing in some UN aid lorries, Israel and the US helped set up a new aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), saying they wanted to prevent Hamas from stealing aid. But since then, there have been almost daily reports of people being killed by Israeli fire while seeking food.

The UN human rights office said on Friday that it had so far recorded 798 such killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF's sites, which are operated by US private security contractors and located inside military zones in southern and central Gaza. The other 183 killings were recorded near UN and other aid convoys.

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

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

Dr Abutaha called on Israel to allow in enough food, medicine and fuel to meet the basic humanitarian needs of everyone in Gaza, so that "everyone could have a dignified life".

He also expressed concern that people were being given "false hope" that Israel and Hamas could soon agree a new ceasefire deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that an agreement on a 60-day truce and the release of 28 hostages could be just days away.

But Palestinian officials said on Friday night that the indirect talks in Qatar were on the brink of collapse because of significant gaps remaining on issues like Israeli troop withdrawals and Hamas's rejection of an Israeli plan to move all of Gaza's population into a camp in Rafah.

"Every day they talk about a ceasefire, but where is it?" Iman said.

"They've killed us through hunger, through gunfire, through bombs, through air strikes. We've died in every possible way."

"It's better to go to God than stay with any of them. May God give me patience."

Advantage Alcaraz?

Two very different reports have reignited UK economic gloom over the past four days.

Friday's economic figures showed a further monthly dip in UK growth, or GDP, in May. Earlier this week the official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), said Britain faced "daunting" risks, including the possibility that levels of government debt could soar to three times the size of the economy.

Two very different timescales - the economy in a single month, and the public finances in half a century's time.

At another moment both might have been largely ignored. Monthly GDP figures are notoriously volatile, and what does a debt forecast for 2075 even begin to mean? What would the Treasury forecast from 1975 tell us about this year?

But these very different charts are setting the tone for some tricky judgements required by autumn and tough calls about what happens in the next half decade.

The really unusual thing about the OBR's long-term risk and sustainability report was the strength of the words from its boss Richard Hughes.

"The UK cannot afford the array of promises that are displayed to the public," based on reasonable assumptions about their cost and growth, he said.

The report also cited a pattern, over multiple governments, of U-turns on tax and spending changes.

It came within days of the government's reverses over welfare savings and the winter fuel payment.

Among 36 advanced economies, the UK now has the sixth highest debt, the fifth highest annual borrowing, and the third highest borrowing costs leaving it "vulnerable", when compared to other countries, to future crises, the OBR found.

The clear message was that repeatedly borrowing more is not a long-term solution to rising day-to-day spending pressures.

Yet the pressure to spend more may prove stubborn, thanks to geopolitical and societal changes.

The OBR's existing forecasts assume that the post-pandemic surge in incapacity and disability cases will fall half way back to normal by 2029.

This is very uncertain. Local councils are now spending 58% of their revenue on social care for adults and children, with some councils spending more than 80%.

A £4.6bn special financial arrangement to deal with ballooning special educational needs budgets risks mass local authority bankruptcy.

The promise to increase defence spending to the new Nato target of 3.5% will cost nearly £40bn per year by 2035.

Time to level

The OBR's report was basically a polite plea for some realism about the choices ahead.

A government with a massive majority and four more years would normally be expected to have the strength to make these sorts of decisions.

As pointed out before the last election, there was little attempt to level with the public, especially over taxation.

The big picture is that this autumn's Budget may see £10bn to £20bn of further tax rises.

On top of this, Trump's tariffs have triggered profound uncertainty. That has pushed up UK government borrowing costs. But they are also prompting a more fundamental shift in the foundations of the global economic system, with the dollar and US government debt no longer treated as unbreachable safe havens.

Kitchen sink Budget

So how might the chancellor respond to these challenges?

She may choose to rebuild the so-called "headroom" to give her a better chance of meeting her self-imposed borrowing limits. Currently that buffer is a very tight £10bn.

Reeves has said she will stick to her plans to not borrow to fund day-to-day spending and to get government debt falling as a share of national income by 2029/29, despite some concern from MPs.

But she is considering the International Monetary Fund's advice to only adjust her plans once a year, rather than in both spring and autumn.

But there may still need to be a kitchen sink approach to this autumn's Budget, with the chancellor throwing everything she has at fixing the public finances.

Ministers have not abandoned the idea of finding savings in the health-related welfare bill.

A discussion is opening up about whether the Personal Independence Payment (Pip) benefit, designed to help pay for physical equipment, is the right vehicle to manage the specific surge in mental ill health.

On the other hand, while politicians acknowledge the cost of the state pension triple lock is far higher than originally forecast, that policy seems to be utterly politically impregnable.

Netting revenue

So we are heading for significant tax rises. The expected further freeze on income tax thresholds will not be enough.

The noise around wealth taxes points to property and inheritance taxation, as baby boomers start a mass transfer of trillions of pounds of housing equity to their children.

Expect the Treasury to think very hard about what size of net it might lay in the water to ensnare bountiful revenues, aimed at funding the costs of an ageing society without levying that burden entirely on working households.

Of course the great hope is the return of robust economic growth to smooth the way.

Reeves' fiscal rules have left space for longer term investments in infrastructure, although the planning reforms will take some time to yield a construction boom. The UK's position as a comparatively stable island in a sea of trade tumult, should also yield dividends.

Some of the world's most important business people, such as Jensen Huang of Nvidia, were falling over themselves to praise the UK's investment potential for frontier tech.

The very latest economic news does contain some perking-up in levels of confidence over the past few weeks, and more interest rate cuts are on the way.

Some City economists say the gloom is overdone and we are "past the worst". UK stock markets and sterling remain strong.

So that is the long-term challenge laid down by the OBR, balance the books and boost the economy.

A government that should still have four years of a thumping majority has the necessary power, but the past month has raised concerns about its authority.

Gregg Wallace may have been sacked as MasterChef presenter after allegations of misconduct, but for the BBC there's still a decision to be made over this year's series.

It is widely reported to have been filmed in 2024 - with Wallace in it - before BBC News first revealed the allegations against him.

The BBC, for its part, is staying tight-lipped about what it will do.

The corporation has said it won't comment until an inquiry into the allegations, ordered by MasterChef's production company Banijay, is complete and the findings are published.

Wallace has apologised for using "inappropriate" language, but has said the report will clear him of "the most serious and sensational allegations".

'Tough decision'

The BBC will face an "extremely tough decision" about what to do with the unseen series, according to Max Goldbart, international TV editor at Deadline.

"They're damned if they do show it, and damned if they don't," he says. "There are lots of competing objectives they'll be thinking about, and those conversations will be happening right now."

On the one hand, the BBC could go ahead and broadcast it as planned. But this week, BBC News reported that 50 more people have come forward with fresh allegations of inappropriate comments, touching and groping - which Wallace denies. BBC News is editorially independent of the wider corporation.

Regardless of what the Banijay report concludes, Goldbart says it would be "very awkward" for the latest series to be beamed into people's living rooms for weeks on end.

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"There could be a backlash," he says. "Not to mention how upsetting that might be for the women who've come forward with claims about him."

One former MasterChef worker, who says Wallace pulled his trousers down in front of her, tells me it would show "a real lack of respect" to people like her if the series was aired.

Another, who says he planted a kiss on her forehead, says she would feel "disappointed and let down", and as if her experiences were being disregarded.

But shelving the cooking show is not an easy decision either - and not only because it could cause uproar among fans.

For the production crew, who spent many weeks working on it, it is a waste of their time and efforts. And for the chefs who have taken part in it the latest amateur series, it would clearly also be deeply disappointing.

Irini Tzortzoglou, who won the 2019 competition, tells me that for her, the experience was "life-changing".

She has gone on to judge awards, host retreats, and work as an olive oil sommelier, and says she is busier now than ever.

"I can't imagine what it would be like for people who've waited all this time, biting their nails, only to be told that no-one is going to see your achievements, your stresses, your growth. It would be awful."

iPlayer option

Thomasina Miers, who won the first series of MasterChef in 2005 and went on to co-found the Wahaca chain of Mexican restaurants, echoes her views.

"[Being on MasterChef] was great, it got me working in food, and I haven't looked back," she says. "It would be mad if they don't show it. It's a lot expecting people to turn up every day, give up their lives and income and not get paid, for it not to go out."

A third option could be to put it on BBC iPlayer so it's available for MasterChef fans to opt in to stream, but isn't being actively pushed out on primetime TV.

Other broadcasters have done similar things before.

In 2021, ITV decided to pull the final episode of drama Viewpoint after allegations of sexual harassment were made in The Guardian against its star, Noel Clarke.

Clarke denies the allegations and is awaiting the result of his libel case against The Guardian.

The finale of Viewpoint was made available on the broadcaster's streaming service for a limited time, for any viewers who wished to seek it out.

Goldbart says he can see the appeal of the iPlayer option.

"It's a lot easier to bury stuff on on-demand than on linear TV," he says, although he points out that there might be financial implications.

But Dorothy Byrne, former head of news and current affairs at Channel 4, says even that option presents challenges.

"If they think the person's unacceptable, then I can't see how putting it on iPlayer gets around that issue," she tells me. "I would say on balance they can't show it at all, but I hope there's a way they can ensure all those people who took part in it don't lose out on this opportunity, because I really feel sorry for them.

"Perhaps there is a way they could edit him out in a way that still allows it to be shown."

The BBC found itself in a similar predicament in November, when the allegations against Wallace first surfaced.

At the time, the corporation made the decision to pull the Christmas specials of MasterChef, although the most recent series of MasterChef: The Professionals did continue to air.

"MasterChef is life-changing for the chefs that take part and the show is about more than one individual," a BBC source said at the time.

The difference this time is that we're not halfway through a series - and that makes the decision even harder.

What no-one seems to be questioning, though, is the long-term future of the show.

Earlier this week, Banijay held a dinner for journalists and media industry people.

The timing of the event, just hours after Wallace dropped a lengthy statement in advance of the Banijay report, was no doubt uncomfortable (one of the people there describes it to me as akin to “a wedding where the bride or groom had done a runner”).

But that same person tells me Banijay executives spoke about MasterChef and its new base in Birmingham, demonstrating their commitment to it.

When the Birmingham move was announced a few years ago, the BBC renewed the show through to 2028.

And food critic Grace Dent has already stepped in to host the next series of Celebrity MasterChef, indicating that version is also continuing.

"It's not one of those shows which is defined by its presenter," Goldbart says. "I personally feel it can continue. John Torode is very good, Grace Dent has filled in a lot, and it's one of those rare beasts where the viewing figures on linear [TV] have held up."

But for the current series, a decision will need to be taken soon.

"They'll need to make an announcement when the report comes back for the sake of the wonderful people who took part," says Byrne.

"This isn't one of those things where you can endlessly delay."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But how can harmony work in such a discordant world?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A new beach resort in North Korea, criticised by human rights groups for the harsh treatment of construction workers, has welcomed its first group of Russian tourists this week.

The Wonsan Kalma resort was opened in a grand ceremony last month by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, who hailed it as a "world-class tourist and cultural destination".

The details of how this resort was built have been shrouded in secrecy in a country largely closed to the outside world.

BBC Verify has studied satellite imagery, obtained internal planning documents, and spoken to experts and former North Korean insiders about their concerns over human rights abuses during the development of the site.

Echoes of Benidorm

Kim Jong Un spent much of his youth in Wonsan, and prior to the building of the new resort the town was a popular holiday destination for the country's elite.

"When the Wonsan tourist area was initially planned… the idea was to attract around one million tourists to the area while keeping it a closed-off zone," says Ri Jong Ho, a senior North Korean economic official involved in the resort's early planning stages and who defected in 2014.

"The intention was to open North Korea up a bit."

In 2017, a year before construction began, Kim sent a delegation on a fact-finding mission to Spain, where the team toured the resort of Benidorm.

The North Korean delegation "included high ranking politicians and many architects who took lots of notes," recalls Matias Perez Such, a member of the Spanish team that hosted the delegation on a tour including a theme park, high-rise hotels and a marina.

A North Korean brochure with a map of the resort has 43 hotels identified along the beach front, as well as guest houses on an artificial lake, and camping sites.

We've matched these locations with high-resolution satellite imagery, although we are unable to verify whether they have actually been completed.

An aquatic park, complete with towering yellow water slides, is set back from the beach.

Further north, there's an entertainment quarter which includes buildings that are identified in the plan as a theatre, recreation and fitness centres, and a cinema.

Beginning in early 2018, satellite images taken over 18 months reveal dozens of buildings springing up along the 4km (2.5 mile) stretch of coastline.

By the end of 2018, around 80% of the resort had been completed, according to research carried out by satellite imagery firm, SI Analytics, based in South Korea.

However, following this whirlwind construction effort, work on the site then appears to have paused.

Construction then resumed after a June 2024 meeting with Kim and Vladimir Putin, where the Russian president said he would encourage his citizens to visit North Korea's holiday resorts.

The human cost of construction

This rapid pace of construction has raised concerns over the treatment of those working at the site.

The UN has highlighted a system of forced labour used in North Korea, in particular "shock brigades" where workers often face harsh conditions, long hours, and inadequate compensation.

James Heenan of the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul says "there are reports that the resort was built using what they call shock brigades".

"We've also seen reports that people were working 24 hours at the end to get this thing finished, which sounds like a shock brigade to me."

The BBC has spoken to one North Korean who served in and eventually managed shock brigades.

Although Cho Chung Hui - who has subsequently defected - wasn't involved in the construction of the Wonsan resort, he recalled the brutal conditions of the brigades he oversaw.

"The principle behind these [brigades] was that no matter what, you had to complete the task, even if it cost you your life," he said.

"I saw many women who were under so much physical strain and eating so poorly that their periods stopped altogether."

Kang Gyuri, who worked in Wonsan before fleeing to South Korea in 2023, says her cousin volunteered to work on the construction site because he saw it as a pathway to residency in the country's capital of Pyongyang, which is reserved for citizens trusted by the regime.

"He could hardly sleep. They [didn't] give him enough to eat," she said.

"The facilities are not properly organised, some people just die while working and they [the authorities] don't take responsibility if they fall and die."

Ms Kang also said residents in Wonsan were driven out from their homes as the resort project expanded, often without compensation.

Though not specific to Ms Kang's experience, BBC Verify was able to identify through satellite analysis the demolition of buildings near a main road leading towards the resort. In their place, larger tower blocks are now visible.

"They just demolish everything and build something new, especially if it's in a good location," Ms Kang said.

"The problem is, no matter how unfair it feels, people can't openly speak out or protest."

The BBC reached out to North Korean officials for comment.

Where are the foreign tourists?

North Korea has been almost entirely closed to foreign visitors with only a few highly-controlled tours permitted to visit the country in recent years.

Wonsan Kalma is seen not only as playing an important role in reviving the sanctioned country's ailing economic fortunes, but also as a means of strengthening its ties with Russia - which have grown closer following Pyongyang's military support for Moscow's war in Ukraine.

According to early planning documents seen by BBC Verify, the initial goal was to attract more than a million visitors, with foreign tourists expected to mainly come from China and Russia.

We have scanned tourist agency sites both in China and Russia for any listings promoting trips to the new resort.

None of the Chinese agencies we checked were advertising trips to Wonsan. In Russia, however, we identified three agencies offering tours that included Wonsan Kalma.

We called one of the Russian agencies in early July posing as an interested customer a week before its first scheduled departure on 7 July and were told that it had attracted 12 people from Russia.

The week-long trip to North Korea, including three days at the Wonsan resort, cost $1,800 (£1,300) - that's 60% more than the average monthly salary in Russia.

Two further trips have been scheduled for August, according to this tour operator.

We contacted the other two agencies offering similar tour packages, but they declined to disclose how many people had signed up.

Andrei Lankov, an expert in Russian-North Korean relations at the Kookmin University in Seoul, said Wonsan Kalma was "highly unlikely to become seriously popular with Russian visitors".

"Russian tourists can easily go to places like Turkey, Egypt, Thailand and Vietnam, which are far superior to everything North Korea can develop," he said.

"The standards of service are higher and you are not put under constant supervision."

Additional reporting by Yaroslava Kiryukhina, Yi Ma and Cristina Cuevas. Graphics by Sally Nicholls and Erwan Rivault.

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The Donald Trump who came to Scotland in 2006 to say he was building the world's greatest golf course was in many ways a different Donald Trump to the one now enjoying his second term in the White House.

Back then he was a brash hotelier, perhaps best known for hosting the US version of The Apprentice and his brief cameo in the 1992 film, Home Alone 2.

The President Trump who returns to Scotland later this month has often spoken of his affection for the country where his mother was born and says he built the course on the Menie Estate at Balmedie in Aberdeenshire in her memory.

But two decades on, few Scots return that affection.

That's not usually the case when it comes to US presidents and their ancestral ties this side of the Atlantic.

Immigration is a huge part of the American experience and US presidents have a strong tradition of acknowledging their family roots in the old world.

John F Kennedy and Joe Biden kept their Irish ancestry central to their personal and political identities and both enjoyed hugely successful trips to Ireland. President Kennedy is said to have described his 1963 visit as the best four days of his life.

In 2023, Joe Biden made a triumphant tour of the country, speaking to tens of thousands in his ancestral home town of Ballina in County Mayo.

He declared "I'm at home" when he addressed the Irish Parliament and even found time to visit a pub in County Louth.

Designed to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the trip was seen as a huge success and clearly meant a great deal to both Biden and the Irish.

It's almost impossible to imagine the same thing happening with President Trump in Scotland.

To be fair, Scottish links to the White House are historically less well-known and celebrated. Yet according to the National Library of Scotland, 34 out of the 45 presidents have Scottish ancestry.

These include George Washington, William McKinlay, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

And Trump is more Scottish than any of them. His mother was a Gaelic speaker, born and raised in Lewis in the Western Isles, who moved to America aged 18 in 1930.

Mary Anne MacLeod Trump was said to have retained her native accent throughout her long life (she died aged 88 in 2000), and visited Lewis regularly enough that many there remember her well.

All this would normally be cause for celebration. But it's a reflection of Trump's personality and reputation that his relationship with the Scots has been largely antagonistic.

A recent opinion poll suggested seven in 10 Scots had an unfavourable opinion of the president.

I've been covering the story of Trump in Scotland since 2006 and have come to realise that to understand the relationship between the two you have to start with him flying in to Scotland with that grand plan to pay tribute to his beloved mum.

There had been a few months of speculation before Trump confirmed his plans in March 2006. He said he'd been looking to build a links golf course in Europe for years.

"My preference was Scotland over any other country, because I am half Scottish - my mother, Mary MacLeod, is from Stornoway," he said.

"When I saw this piece of land I was overwhelmed by the imposing dunes and rugged Aberdeenshire coastline. I knew that this was the perfect site.

"The complex will cover a large area of sand dunes. I have never seen such an unspoilt and dramatic seaside landscape, and the location makes it perfect for our development."

There's a certain irony there. The unspoilt nature of those dunes at Balmedie would become central to the reaction that grew against Trump.

Some of the land he bought was under protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The shifting sand dune system along that stretch of coast north of Aberdeen was regarded as one of the finest examples of its kind in the UK.

What followed was a protracted and often bitter planning dispute that went all the way to the heart of the Scottish government.

The conservation agency Scottish Natural Heritage had warned a planning inquiry that the development would seriously damage the SSSI.

The local council turned down the development, but permission was later granted by Scottish government ministers on the basis that the potential economic benefit would outweigh any environmental harm.

The development went ahead in the face of protests from environmental groups and calls for professional golfers not to attend the official opening in 2012.

In 2020, it was announced the dunes at Balmedie had lost their SSSI status. The dunes are now said to not include enough special features.

Trump International described the move as "highly politicised".

The long-running environmental dispute probably turned many against the Trump plans. But there was also a human story developing and this really captured the public's imagination.

Quite quickly in the development process, Trump became involved in a public fight with two of the site's neighbours.

Michael Forbes and David and Moira Milne own properties next to the Trump course. They declined to sell their land and the tycoon went on the offensive.

On one visit he was filmed looking up at the Milnes' home - actually a rather striking converted coastguard station which sits high on a hill overlooking the course - saying "I want to get rid of that house".

He was told by an employee that this could cause a "bit of stir" and replied: "Who cares? We are going to build the greatest golf course in the world, this house is ugly."

Trump also accused local farmer and salmon fisherman Michael Forbes of living in a "pig-like atmosphere".

Mr Forbes and the Milnes became folk heroes to Trump's critics. The Milnes flew a Mexican flag outside their home in a protest against plans to build a wall on the southern US border.

Speaking on a US comedy show in 2017, Mr Forbes branded the president a "clown", adding: "The only regret I have is I didn't knock him on his arse when I met him".

It should be said many welcomed Trump's interest in Scotland, especially at the start.

He enjoyed the qualified support of Jack McConnell and Alex Salmond's governments. The sort of inward investment he promised doesn't come along every day.

The former head of the economic agency Scottish Enterprise, Jack Perry, later described being "profoundly dismayed" when councillors turned down the planning application.

Speaking to BBC Scotland for a documentary I made with my colleague Glenn Campbell in 2017, he said: "I found it hard to credit. You're saying, 'No' to Donald Trump? Remember, this is before he was involved in politics and had the kind of toxic brand that he has now."

Local chambers of commerce, business leaders and many councillors backed the project.

Stewart Spence, who died earlier this year, ran the luxury Marcliffe Hotel in Aberdeen for more than 40 years.

As an influential business leader in the city, he was an early supporter of Trump and his plans, recognising the potential value for the local economy.

Speaking in 2017, he said: "I knew that this was a man that wouldn't do anything unless it was the best in the world. And that was always what he was known for."

The two became friends, with Trump gifting him membership at the club.

Trump was made a business ambassador by Jack McConnell in 2006 and awarded an honorary degree by Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University four years later.

All of these can be easily justified by the need to do business with powerful business and political leaders.

And there are those today advocating for better relations with Donald Trump.

Writing in The Times newspaper ahead of the recent UK-US trade deal, the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar argued: "President Trump's affinity for Scotland is real, regardless of what people think of his politics.

"His family's investments in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire are real and significant. They have created jobs, attracted tourism, and demonstrated that Scotland remains an attractive destination for global investment.

"I am sure at times they have felt frustrated at doing business in Scotland, but the potential benefits of having the president of the United States as an advocate for others to invest in Scotland should be obvious."

But many at the top of Scottish politics turned away from Trump years before he won the 2016 election.

In 2012, he travelled to the Scottish Parliament to argue against a wind farm being built in the North Sea, within sight of his development.

He went on to fight a court action against the plans. And when he lost, he turned his ire on Scotland's politicians, especially ministers.

The man who had once called Salmond "a tremendous representative of the people of Scotland" who had done "a fantastic job", now said, "You're going to have riots all over Scotland, because Alex Salmond is going to destroy the natural beauty of Scotland".

The economic benefits of the Aberdeenshire golf course - which had tipped the argument for ministers - also came into question as the years passed.

Trump promised a £1bn project creating hundreds of jobs. According to an investigation by BBC Scotland in 2024, the latest accounts showed the facility has a net book value of £33.2m and 81 employees.

In addition to the golf course, the original proposal also included approval for a 450-room hotel, 950 holiday apartments, 36 golf villas and 500 houses for sale.

None of these elements, and the thousands of new jobs promised, have materialised. The golf resort had yet to turn a profit, racking up £13.3m in losses since it opened.

President Trump is expected to open the second course at the site while on his latest visit.

He's also likely to visit the Trump Turnberry resort in Ayrshire. Bought in 2014 for $60m, at its centre is the Ailsa course with its rich history of hosting the Open Championship.

In the wake of the Washington riots in 2021, the organisers of The Open announced that it would not be held at Turnberry as long as its links to the Trump Organisation remain. In recent months, there have been suggestions this may change.

Turnberry has became the focus of many of the protests against Trump throughout his presidency and beyond.

It's where the late comedian Janey Godley was pictured holding a very blunt placard and buildings on the course have been the subject of recent vandalism in protest at the president's comments on Gaza.

Trump's low regard among most Scots remains a live issue. If anything, his return to the White House has energised his critics and his name on Scottish businesses gives them a focus for their anger.

As Scotland gets ready for Trump's return, there are concerns about the cost of policing such a high-profile occasion, and talk of further public protests.

So what will all this mean when the president flies into Scotland later this month?

Donald Trump has an almost unparalleled talent for courting controversy, getting into fights and provoking his opponents.

It would be a stretch to imagine he cares very much whether people turn out and protest his visit. As someone who thrives on all kinds of publicity he might, in fact, welcome it.

It would be even more of a stretch to believe angry Scots hitting the streets to march against him will change his mind on anything.

People will likely protest and, though he has his supporters and those who believe Scotland ought to make more of the connection, the voices raised against him will probably be the loudest across the days he spends in his mother's homeland.

But the last 20 years suggest he won't necessarily be listening.

• Craig Williams produced and directed the documentary Donald Trump: Scotland's President for BBC Scotland in 2017.

US President Donald Trump reassured residents of Kerrville, Texas, that the government would help rebuild after floods hit the central part of the state last week, killing 120 people.

The president and First Lady Melania Trump met on Friday with local officials on the ground - standing in front of an upended tractor trailer - and surveyed the damage.

"I've never seen anything like it," Trump said after taking a tour of the devastation.

More than 12,300 volunteers have gathered to help search for the 161 people still missing statewide. Officials said volunteers have been working 10 hours a day.

Trump told officials at an afternoon roundtable that he and the first lady were in town to "express the love and support, and the anguish of our entire nation".

The first lady, who ordinarily keeps a low profile, joined the tour of the devastation. She said she hugged and prayed with families of the victims during her visit.

"My deepest sympathy to all of the parents who lost beautiful young souls," she said. "We are grieving with you. Our nation is grieving with you."

She also promised to visit again.

In the wake of the deadly tragedy, questions have been raised about whether adequate warnings were provided and why some weren't evacuated ahead of the deluge.

"Only an evil person would ask a question like that," Trump responded when the topic came up Friday, saying it's easy to sit back and wonder what could have happened.

The Guadalupe River levels, which submerged homes, roads and cars, caught many by surprise.

The catastrophe unfolded before daybreak last Friday as the river rose 26ft (8m) in the span of just 45 minutes. Young children and staff at summer camps along the river were asleep as weather alerts went off.

• Texans did not immediately receive flood alerts after request, audio reveals

Search crews in Texas are still sifting through debris for scores of missing people. Authorities have said they will not relent until everyone is accounted for.

Experts have said there were a number of factors that led to the tragic floods in, including the pre-dawn timing, the location of some homes and the extreme weather.

US President Donald Trump has said he will send weapons, including Patriot air defence systems, for Ukraine via Nato.

Trump told NBC News that in a new deal, "we're going to be sending Patriots to Nato, and then Nato will distribute that", adding that Nato would pay for the weapons.

His announcement came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of having a "positive dialogue" with Trump on ensuring that arms arrived on time, particularly air defence systems.

Zelensky said he had asked for 10 Patriot systems, after a surge in Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in the past week.

Speaking in Rome on Thursday, the Ukrainian leader said Germany was ready to pay for two of the Patriots and Norway for one, while other European partners were also prepared to help.

After a phone-call with Russia's Vladimir Putin last week, Trump said he was "not happy" that progress had not been made towards ending the war, and he has since complained that Putin's "very nice" attitude turned out to be meaningless.

During his interview with NBC News, Trump said he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday, but did not say what it would be about.

He said "Nato is going to reimburse the full cost" for the weapons sent on to Ukraine. Nato is funded through the contributions of its members, including the US.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday that he had urged countries including Germany and Spain to hand over some of their existing Patriot batteries, as they could reach Ukraine faster.

"We have continued to encourage our Nato allies to provide those weapons... since they have them in their stocks, then we can enter into financial agreements... where they can purchase the replacements."

The US defence department halted some shipments of critical weapons last week, raising concerns in Kyiv that its air defences could run low in a matter of months.

Among the armaments reported to have been placed on pause were Patriot interceptor missiles and precision artillery shells.

Then, as Ukraine was pounded by record numbers of drone attacks this week, Trump said more weapons would be sent: "We have to... They're getting hit very hard now."

Zelensky had appealed for the shipments to resume, describing the Patriot systems as "real protectors of life".

On Tuesday night, Ukraine was hit by a record 728 drones, and the Ukrainian president warned that Russia wanted to increase that to 1,000.

June saw the highest monthly civilian casualties in Ukraine in three years, with 232 people killed and more than 1,300 injured, according to the UN.

Since re-entering the White House in January, Trump has pushed to scale back US support for Ukraine.

The US was the biggest source of military aid to Ukraine between the start of 2022 and the end of 2024, giving $69bn (£54.6bn) in that time period, according to German think tank the Kiel Institute.

Trump has also pressed Nato allies to pledge more of their GDP to the security alliance. Last year, all European Nato members pledged to spend 2% of GDP on defence.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The US has been urging the two countries to reach an agreement to end the war.

Rubio told reporters that he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a "frank" conversation on the sidelines of a meeting in Malaysia on Thursday.

Rubio echoed Trump's "frustration at the lack of progress at peace talks", including "disappointment that there has not been more flexibility on the Russian side to bring about an end to this conflict".

He said the two had shared some new ideas about how the conflict could conclude, which he would take back to Trump.

Rubio declined to elaborate on what Trump said would be a "major" announcement about Russia on Monday.

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Jota wife attends Anfield tributes

Amber heat health alerts have been issued for much of England as the third heatwave of the summer kicks in.

The official alerts have been upgraded for southern England, the Midlands and East of England.

The warnings will come into force at noon on Friday and will remain in place until Monday morning, the UK Health Security Agency said.

Less severe yellow warnings remain in place in place for northern England.

Temperatures are forecast to go as high as 32C across England and Wales, with elsewhere in the UK expected to reach the high 20s.

Friday could be Wales's hottest day of the year so far if the temperature exceeds 30.8C as forecast.

The heat will continue into Saturday, when temperature may reach 31C in parts of central and north-east Scotland, making it the hottest day of the year so far north of the border.

Sunday is set to be cooler as a north-easterly breeze sets in, though temperatures will still be in the high twenties and low thirties for many.

There is also a chance of a few showers across some eastern areas of England.

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

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

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Unite says it has suspended Angela Rayner from her membership of the union, amid a deepening row over the long-running bin strikes in Birmingham.

The deputy prime minister has been urging striking bin workers to accept a deal to end the dispute, which has seen mountains of rubbish pile up in the city.

The union said it would also re-examine its relationship with Labour after an emergency motion at its conference in Brighton.

Bin collection workers walked out in January, with an all-out strike going on since March. Unite is a major donor to the Labour Party, and has previously donated to Rayner herself.

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GP surgeries in England can offer advice to patients on getting back to work, including career coaching or exercise classes, as part of a pilot project to reduce the number of people who are signed off work sick.

The aim is to help people return to the workplace more quickly to reduce the length of time they need fit notes - better known as sick notes.

These are issued by health professionals if a patient is unwell or cannot work for more than seven days.

A total of £1.5m is being made available to 15 regions in England, and will be shared between GP practices in these areas to hire coaches or occupational therapists to support patients in their return to work.

The Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: "It's about fundamentally changing the conversation from 'you can't' to 'how can we help you?'

"When someone walks into their doctor's surgery worried about their job, they should walk out with a plan, not just a piece of paper that closes doors."

Health staff would be offered training to give work and health advice. People could be pointed towards fitness classes or career coaching.

In one case quoted by the government, a woman who was off work with a fractured ankle had an assessment with a fitness adviser and was referred for a 12-week exercise programme with the aim of strengthening the ankle.

The Department of Health and Social Care says that of 11 million fit notes issued electronically in England last year, 93% simply declared people "not fit for work" with no alternative support offered.

This new scheme expands on an initiative launched last October in the same 15 regions called WorkWell, jointly run by the Departments of Work and Pensions and Health and Social Care.

It involves NHS staff referring patients to other services. People in work but at risk of quitting have been given advice on mental health in the workplace.

In the new scheme, those out of work will be referred by NHS staff to services that offer support for finding a job, such as CV and interview techniques and liaising with employers on appropriate support.

Ministers say the policies are part of the move across government to encourage more people back into work with 2.8 million currently out of the workforce due to health conditions.

The Royal College of GPs said it recognised the health benefits of being in work and GPs would encourage it where safe to do so, but added that doctors did not issue fit notes without good reason.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the College, said: "We want to work alongside the Government on this scheme so it's important that it is not presented as a punitive measure for patients."

Prof Hawthorne also stressed that the new scheme should also not be punitive for "hardworking GPs", who are "doing their best under enormous pressures, caused by historic underfunding and poor workforce planning",

WorkWell is operating in 15 English regions and the new fit note initiative will provide £1.5m to be shared between them.

The regions are Birmingham and Solihull; Black Country; Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly; Coventry and Warwickshire; Frimley; Herefordshire and Worcestershire; Greater Manchester; Lancashire and South Cumbria; Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland; North Central London; North West London; South Yorkshire; Surrey Heartlands.

The former Metropolitan Police commissioner, Lord Ian Blair, has died at the age of 72.

The crossbench peer and senior police officer led the UK's largest force between 2005 and 2008, including during the 7/7 bombings in London.

Christ Church, Oxford, where Lord Blair studied English and later became an honorary student, confirmed his death on Friday.

Born in Chester in 1953, Lord Blair joined the Met in 1974 as part of its graduate entry scheme.

He rose through the ranks, serving in both uniform and CID, and went on to lead major investigations, including the response to the King's Cross fire of 1987.

In 1998, he became chief constable of Surrey Police before returning to the Met two years later as deputy commissioner.

Lord Blair was appointed commissioner in February 2005, just months before a series of bombings killed 52 people on London's transport network.

Two weeks later, firearms officers shot dead Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Underground station, after mistaking him for a terror suspect.

The force was later found to have breached health and safety laws over the shooting.

Lord Blair was cleared of personal wrongdoing but faced sustained pressure over the incident for the remainder of his time in the role.

Parliament's standards commissioner has launched an investigation into ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe.

The BBC understands it is for allegedly failing to register hundreds of thousands of pounds raised in donations to fund his independent "Rape Gang Inquiry".

More than £600,000 has been donated to a Crowdfunder started by Lowe in March to support a national inquiry into gang-based sexual exploitation across the UK. So far, Lowe has not declared any of the money on his MPs' register.

Lowe started the project before the PM announced a government-backed national inquiry into grooming gangs last month. He has since said his investigation will continue regardless. Lowe has been approached for comment.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has confirmed they are investigating whether Lowe breached parliamentary rules on declaring donations within the 28-days - as set out in the MPs' Code of Conduct.

Under parliamentary rules, MPs must declare any donation from a single source over £1,500 - or over £300 in earnings or gifts.

Lowe's Crowdfunder includes a statement that donors giving above the parliamentary limit will have their names published in the Commons register.

Most of the £600,000 came in small sums - but records show over a dozen donations exceeded £1,500, none of which have appeared in Lowe's register of financial interests.

Lowe was elected as a Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth in 2024 but was suspended by the party in March, amid claims of threats towards the party's chairman, Zia Yusuf.

In May, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to press charges over threats he was alleged to have made. Lowe claimed in a BBC Newsnight interview that he had been the victim of a "political assassination attempt".

Not long after his suspension from Reform, Lowe set up his Crowdfunder - accusing ministers of failing victims and saying: "Our gutless political class is too cowardly to even start to process what has truly happened."

Lowe's Rape Gang Inquiry has set up a board, including Conservative MP Esther McVey.

According to the inquiries social media page it has sent "hundreds and hundreds of FOI requests to every local council, police force, NHS trust and more in order to uncover vital information relating to the rape gangs".

Lowe has promised to stream hearings online and insisted his private investigation will continue to push for accountability.

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Behind the bar at The King's Head in Pollington, east Yorkshire, Emma Baxter has a problem. She runs the pub in her evenings - but it makes no money.

It is the last remaining pub in the village after another shut down, along with a greengrocer and the post office. She says she can't take a salary from the business.

"I run the pub for the love of it and for the fact I'm a village girl," she says.

"I'm a strong believer in the fact that it's the centre of the community and I said when I bought it I would keep it going.

"But my electricity bill has doubled in the last six months – where is that money going to come from?"

Emma felt so strongly about the tough financial situation facing many pubs that she contacted Your Voice, Your BBC News - an initiative to share the stories that matter to you.

According to the British Beer and Pub Association, the number of pubs in the UK has steadily decreased every year since 2000. Some 15,000 pubs have closed in that time, including 289 last year - the equivalent of six a week.

The average price of a pint is set to increase from £4.80 to £5.01. Budget measures mean that pubs face a loss of 9p on each pint if they continue to charge the same pre-budget prices. This means the price of a pint will need to rise by 21p to £5.01 for pubs to maintain current 12p profit.

The industry faced particular struggles during the Covid pandemic, but Emma believes things have deteriorated in the last two years - and it's left some pubs struggling to stay afloat.

"We saw maybe one price increase a year if we were lucky [during Covid] - sometimes we didn't even see that," she says.

"Now we're seeing three for a year and we've got another one coming. That will be the second one in the last two months. So how much more is this going to happen?"

At the same time as battling rising costs, she is attempting to entice customers in.

"I think everybody's trying their best - but you can't compromise the service and the quality that you give and the environment that you give.

"So you can't turn around at 9pm, turn all the lights off and make people sit around one bulb, you know. That's not what people come out for."

Pubs operate under various business models. There are free houses, which are not owned by a brewery or landlord stipulating where landlords buy their beer from. These are often run by owner-occupiers.

Then there are brewery-owned pubs, which generally only sell beers from that brewery.

And there are firms that own thousands of pubs and are occupied by tenants - often referred to as a "pub co".

Some tenants are also obliged to buy the drinks they sell from the same company. In some cases they are responsible for the upkeep of the building too.

Maurice, a tenant for one such company in Sheffield, tells the BBC he is trying to renegotiate his deal to run the pub. He says he will have to close the establishment if he can't get better terms.

"The prices that we are charged for spirits, beer, is ridiculous. I could actually go to a supermarket and buy about two bottles for what they're charging me for one. But I'm not allowed to because I'm tied," he says.

He also wants to see "pub co" breweries offered more help with the maintenance of their pubs, rather than leaving tenants to chase money for repairs.

Having been in the trade all his working life, he says he got involved with running a pub because of his love for community, but he's struggling to see a bright future.

"At the end of the day, you've got to make money. Financially, we're losing about £1,000 a week at a minimum here. And that's been for about the last couple of months.

"I can't afford to carry that anymore. All my savings are going."

For its part, the UK government says the pub is a central part of Britain's national identity and it is working hard to support the industry.

"We are a pro-business government and we know the vital importance of pubs to local communities and the economy, which is why we are supporting them with business rates relief and a 1p cut to alcohol duty on draught pints."

However, campaigners say that's not enough.

"Bringing down the VAT rate for hospitality would be a massive win," says Paul Crossman, landlord of The Swan, in York.

Paul, who is also chair of the pressure group the Campaign for Pubs, says: "I know the Chancellor of the Exchequer won't like that because there will be a cost attached to it, but surely getting 10% VAT from businesses that are still open is better than asking 20% from businesses that can't sustain that and will close."

There are some positive stories, too. Meg and Patrick have recently taken over the oldest pub in Chesterfield, south Yorkshire, and say their re-opening "couldn't have gone better".

Both former teachers, the couple had a shared dream of running their own pub, eventually saving enough to buy the Ye Royal Oak in the town centre.

They say being a free house pub has been helpful, as they are in control of what they do.

Patrick that the support he's witnessed in the community has given him hope.

"Beer and pubs are such a massive part of the fabric of British life that we think that that's not something that's ever going to go away," he says.

The National Trust has announced plans to cut 6% of its current workforce, about 550 jobs, blaming an inflated pay bill and tax rises introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The heritage and conservation charity said it was under "sustained cost pressures beyond our control".

These include the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage rise from April, which the National Trust said had driven up annual wage costs by more than £10m.

The cost-cutting measures are part of a plan to find £26m worth of savings.

A 45-day consultation period with staff began on Thursday and the Trust said they were working with the union Prospect "to minimise compulsory redundancies".

The charity is running a voluntary redundancy scheme, and is expecting that to significantly reduce compulsory redundancies, a spokeswoman said.

The job cuts will affect all staff from management down, and everyone whose job is at risk will be offered a suitable alternative where available, the spokeswoman added.

Following consultations, which will finish in mid-to-late August, the cuts will be made in the autumn.

The Trust currently has about 9,500 employees.

Oasis fans have gone mad for their music again following their reunion, sending the band to number one in the UK album chart.

After the group kicked off their comeback tour last week, their greatest hits compilation Time Flies has gone back to the top spot, followed by 1995 album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? at number two.

Debut album Definitely Maybe, from 1994, is at number four - with only Sabrina Carpenter preventing them from completing a clean sweep of the top three.

News of the chart revival comes as the Britpop heroes prepare for their homecoming with the first of five sold-out nights in Manchester.

• Follow live updates from Oasis' first Manchester show

Oasis have had eight number one albums in total, and last topped the chart when Definitely Maybe went back to the summit last September after the reunion was announced. Time Flies and Morning Glory also went back into the top five at that time.

Three of their songs have also gone into the top 20 singles chart this week, led by Acquiesce, which was originally only a B-side, at number 17. That's followed by Don't Look Back in Anger at 18, and Live Forever at 19.

Noel and Liam Gallagher buried the hatchet to get back on stage for the first time in 16 years in Cardiff a week ago, and received enthusiastic reviews from ticket-holders and critics.

They have now moved on to Manchester's Heaton Park, where about 80,000 people will watch them every night.

They will also play seven nights at Wembley Stadium in London as well as shows in Edinburgh and Dublin, and a world tour.

The success of the brotherly reconciliation has gone some way to eclipsing bad memories of the scramble for tickets, when some fans found that prices more than doubled while they spent hours in a virtual queue.

An attack victim has said he is lucky to be alive after being knocked out by a single punch from a stranger who has now been jailed.

Airline pilot Ross McConnell, 35, was assaulted following a Busted concert at Aberdeen's P&J Live in 2023, leaving him unable to work for several months and with permanent scarring.

He has now spoken out to warn of the dangers of a single punch, saying the "split-second action" can have "absolutely devastating consequences".

Ben Corfield, 40, admitted the assault, and was jailed for a year at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr McConnell said: "Justice has been done today, that guy very nearly killed me.

"I understand that he has had time to reflect on it. I accept his remorse, but ultimately he did what he did.

"Every day I'm reminded that the situation could be much more different."

Mr McConnell and his wife Lisa were both assaulted in the incident on 19 September 2023.

Corfield, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, admitted punching the pilot to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

He also admitted assaulting another man on the same night.

Claire Maclagan, 36, from Dundee, admitted assaulting Lisa McConnell and was sentenced to carry out 187 hours of unpaid work.

Sheriff Morag McLaughlin said she had "wrestled" with her decision, but she had no choice but to impose a custodial sentence on the first-time offender.

She described it as an "extremely serious assault" which could have turned out "significantly worse".

The sheriff told the court "everyone wishes Mr Corfield had just walked away".

Mr McConnell said events on the night unfolded very quickly.

"Out of nowhere this guy comes up to me," he said.

"He just punched me to the left-hand side of my jaw. It caused me to fall backwards. The next thing I remember was waking up in the recovery position on the floor.

"I don't recall saying anything to him, it all happened in the space of seconds. I just thought, what did I do to deserve this? If someone else had been in my position it looks like they would have got the same treatment."

How bad were the injuries?

Mr McConnell was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he received stitches to his serious head wound.

He said: "My daughter nearly lost her father, my wife nearly lost her husband, my mother nearly lost her son - all because one guy had a bad night and decided to punch me.

"Just about 30cm from where my head struck was uneven granite cobble. If my head had hit that, I shudder to think. The situation could have been a lot worse. I might not even be here today at worse case."

He was unable to properly return to his job as an airline pilot for nearly four months.

"That really gets you down," he said. "You know I thought 'why me?' A single punch has caused all of this impact for me, the physical impact as well as the financial loss and the mental impact too.

"I sat for days wondering, had I done anything? Was this my fault?"

Maxine Thompson-Curl set up the charity One Punch UK after her 18-year-old son Kristian's death in 2010.

He was punched by a man in a nightclub.

"He had a fractured skull and a catastrophic brain injury," she said. "My life from that moment has never been the same.

"He was in a coma for five days. And then for many months he was trying to get over having a brain injury. But he died nine months later. It was absolutely horrific."

She added: "We know these one-punch assaults happen, but the difficult thing statistically is that it isn't recorded by the police as a one-punch attack it is recorded as an assault.

"I have contact with people from across the country - Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland - and I would say at least twice a week I am hearing from people who are going through this, they get in touch looking for help.

"We know that one punch can ruin two lives. What I would say is - stop, think and walk away. Don't use those fists as weapons. They weren't given to punch, they were given to us to care, to hold each other, not to kill."

Why has Ross told his story?

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland of Police Scotland said violence of any kind was entirely unacceptable.

"A split-second, ill-informed decision can end someone's life, and leave the perpetrator facing a long jail sentence," he said.

Mr McConnell hopes sharing his story might also make others think twice before lashing out.

"I am one of the lucky ones who survived a one-punch attack," he said.

"There are many other accounts out there where people have lost their lives, become disabled from it.

"If you are really having a bad day, taking a swing at somebody Is not going to make it any better."

US President Donald Trump has said he will send weapons, including Patriot air defence systems, for Ukraine via Nato.

Trump told NBC News that in a new deal, "we're going to be sending Patriots to Nato, and then Nato will distribute that", adding that Nato would pay for the weapons.

His announcement came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of having a "positive dialogue" with Trump on ensuring that arms arrived on time, particularly air defence systems.

Zelensky said he had asked for 10 Patriot systems, after a surge in Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in the past week.

Speaking in Rome on Thursday, the Ukrainian leader said Germany was ready to pay for two of the Patriots and Norway for one, while other European partners were also prepared to help.

After a phone-call with Russia's Vladimir Putin last week, Trump said he was "not happy" that progress had not been made towards ending the war, and he has since complained that Putin's "very nice" attitude turned out to be meaningless.

During his interview with NBC News, Trump said he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday, but did not say what it would be about.

He said "Nato is going to reimburse the full cost" for the weapons sent on to Ukraine. Nato is funded through the contributions of its members, including the US.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday that he had urged countries including Germany and Spain to hand over some of their existing Patriot batteries, as they could reach Ukraine faster.

"We have continued to encourage our Nato allies to provide those weapons... since they have them in their stocks, then we can enter into financial agreements... where they can purchase the replacements."

The US defence department halted some shipments of critical weapons last week, raising concerns in Kyiv that its air defences could run low in a matter of months.

Among the armaments reported to have been placed on pause were Patriot interceptor missiles and precision artillery shells.

Then, as Ukraine was pounded by record numbers of drone attacks this week, Trump said more weapons would be sent: "We have to... They're getting hit very hard now."

Zelensky had appealed for the shipments to resume, describing the Patriot systems as "real protectors of life".

On Tuesday night, Ukraine was hit by a record 728 drones, and the Ukrainian president warned that Russia wanted to increase that to 1,000.

June saw the highest monthly civilian casualties in Ukraine in three years, with 232 people killed and more than 1,300 injured, according to the UN.

Since re-entering the White House in January, Trump has pushed to scale back US support for Ukraine.

The US was the biggest source of military aid to Ukraine between the start of 2022 and the end of 2024, giving $69bn (£54.6bn) in that time period, according to German think tank the Kiel Institute.

Trump has also pressed Nato allies to pledge more of their GDP to the security alliance. Last year, all European Nato members pledged to spend 2% of GDP on defence.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The US has been urging the two countries to reach an agreement to end the war.

Rubio told reporters that he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a "frank" conversation on the sidelines of a meeting in Malaysia on Thursday.

Rubio echoed Trump's "frustration at the lack of progress at peace talks", including "disappointment that there has not been more flexibility on the Russian side to bring about an end to this conflict".

He said the two had shared some new ideas about how the conflict could conclude, which he would take back to Trump.

Rubio declined to elaborate on what Trump said would be a "major" announcement about Russia on Monday.

Two care home residents have died after a car crashed into the building following a police chase in Sunderland, Northumbria Police has said.

The crash happened at about 21:40 BST on Wednesday when a blue BMW hit Highcliffe Care Home in Witherwack, causing structural damage.

The vehicle had been reported stolen from the Fenham area of Newcastle earlier that evening, police said.

A woman in her 90s and another in her 80s died on Thursday, and eight other residents were taken to hospital with injuries. Two people have been arrested.

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Unite says it has suspended Angela Rayner from her membership of the union, amid a deepening row over the long-running bin strikes in Birmingham.

The deputy prime minister has been urging striking bin workers to accept a deal to end the dispute, which has seen mountains of rubbish pile up in the city.

The union said it would also re-examine its relationship with Labour after an emergency motion at its conference in Brighton.

Bin collection workers walked out in January, with an all-out strike going on since March. Unite is a major donor to the Labour Party, and has previously donated to Rayner herself.

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Doctors have warned of an imminent disaster at Gaza's largest functioning hospital because of critical shortage of fuel and a widening Israeli ground offensive in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Nasser Medical Complex was forced to stop admitting patients on Thursday, when witnesses said Israeli troops and tanks advanced into a cemetery 200m (660ft) away and fired towards nearby camps for displaced families. The forces reportedly withdrew on Friday after digging up several areas.

Medical staff and dozens of patients in intensive care remain inside the hospital, where the fuel shortage threatens to shut down life-saving services.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

However, it said on Friday morning that an armoured brigade was operating in Khan Younis to dismantle "terrorist infrastructure sites" and confiscate weapons> It has previously issued evacuation orders for the areas around the hospital.

A witness told the BBC that Israeli tanks accompanied by excavators and bulldozers advanced from the south of the cemetery near Nasser hospital on Thursday.

The tanks fired shells and bullets as they moved into an area, which was previously farmland, and several tents belonging to displaced families were set on fire, the witness said. Video footage shared online showed a plume of dark smoke rising from the area.

The witness added that Israeli quadcopter drones also fired towards tents in the Namsawi Towers and al-Mawasi areas to force residents to evacuate. Another video showed dozens of people running for cover amid as gunfire rang out.

One or two civilians standing near the hospital's gates were reportedly injured by stray bullets.

Medical staff inside Nasser hospital meanwhile sent messages to local journalists expressing their fear. "We are still working in the hospital. The tanks are just metres away. We are closer to death than to life," they wrote.

On Friday morning, locals said the Israeli tanks and troops pulled out of the cemetery and other areas close to the hospital.

Pictures shared online later in the day appeared to show deep trenches dug into the sandy ground, flattened buildings, burnt tents, and crushed vehicles piled on top of each other.

Staff at Nasser hospital said they were assessing if they could resume admitting patients.

On Wednesday, they warned that the hospital was very close to a complete shutdown due to a critical fuel shortage.

They said electricity generators were expected to function for one additional day despite significant efforts to reduce power consumption and restrict electricity to only the most critical departments, including the intensive care and neonatal units.

If the power went out completely, dozens of patients, particularly those dependent of ventilators, would "be in immediate danger and face certain death", the hospital added.

An Israeli military official told Reuters news agency on Thursday that around 160,000 litres of fuel destined for hospitals and other humanitarian facilities had entered Gaza since Wednesday, but that the fuel's distribution around the territory was not the responsibility of the army.

There is a shortage of critical medical supplies, especially those related to trauma care.

During a visit to Nasser hospital last week, the Gaza representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) described it as "one massive trauma ward".

Dr Rik Peeperkorn said in a video that the facility, which normally has a 350-bed capacity, was treating about 700 patients, and that exhausted staff were working 24 hours a day.

The director and doctors reported receiving hundreds of trauma cases over the past four weeks, the majority of them linked to incidents around aid distribution sites, he added.

"There's many boys, young adolescents who are dying or getting the most serious injuries because they try to get some food for their families," he said.

Among them were a 13-year-old boy who was shot in the head and is now tetraplegic, and a 21-year-old man who has a bullet lodged in his neck and is also tetraplegic.

On Friday, 10 people seeking aid were reportedly killed by Israeli military fire near an aid distribution site in the nearby southern city of Rafah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not commented.

Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, a senior Hamas commander was among eight people who were killed in an Israeli air strike on a school sheltering displaced families in Jabalia, a local source told the BBC.

Iyad Nasr, who led the Jabalia al-Nazla battalion, died alongside his family, including several children, and an aide when two missiles hit a classroom at Halima al-Saadia school, according to the source.

Another Hamas commander, Hassan Marii, and his aide were reportedly killed in a separate air strike on an apartment in al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.

It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal could be just days away, after concluding his four-day trip to the US.

Before flying back from Washington on Thursday night, he told Newsmax that the proposal would supposedly see Hamas release half of the 20 living hostages it is still holding and just over half of the 30 dead hostages during a 60-day truce.

"So, we'll have 10 living left and about 12 deceased hostages [remaining], but I'll get them out, too. I hope we can complete it in a few days," he added.

However, a Palestinian official told the BBC that the indirect negotiations in Qatar were stalled, with sticking points including aid distribution and Israeli troop withdrawals.

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

At least 57,762 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

A 24-year-old man who died in a stabbing outside a five-star hotel in west London has been named by police as Blue Stevens.

Emergency services were called to the Park Tower Hotel on Seville Street, Knightsbridge, just before 21:30 BST on Wednesday.

Paramedics treated Mr Stevens for knife wounds but he died at the scene, the Metropolitan Police said.

No arrests have been made but officers are working "to establish the circumstances of what happened".

Author Raynor Winn's new book has been delayed because questions about her bestselling work The Salt Path have caused her and her husband "considerable distress", her publisher has said.

Penguin Michael Joseph said the decision to postpone the publication of her fourth book, On Winter Hill, had been made with Winn.

It comes after an investigation by the Observer claimed the writer had misrepresented some of the events in her 2018 book. Winn has called the report "highly misleading" and refuted many of the newspaper's claims.

On Winter Hill, about a solo coast-to-coast walk Winn completed without husband Moth, had been scheduled to be published in October.

"Given recent events, in particular intrusive conjecture around Moth's health condition which has caused considerable distress to Raynor Winn and her family, it is our priority to support the author at this time," Penguin Michael Joseph said in a statement.

"With this in mind, Penguin Michael Joseph, together with the author, have made the decision to delay the publication of On Winter Hill from this October."

A new release date will be announced in due course, the publisher added.

• Raynor Winn hits back at claims she misled readers
• Penguin says it did 'all necessary due diligence' with The Salt Path

On Sunday, the Observer reported Winn had misrepresented the events that led to the couple losing their house and setting off on the 630-mile walk that was depicted in The Salt Path.

The paper's investigation also cast doubt on the nature of her husband's illness. Winn denied the allegations and said she was taking legal advice.

On Wednesday, she posted a more extensive statement, responding in detail to each of the claims made in the Observer's article.

The newspaper said it had spoken to medical experts who were "sceptical" that Moth had corticobasal degeneration (CBD), given his lack of acute symptoms and apparent ability to reverse them via walking.

In response, Winn provided documents that appeared to confirm he had been diagnosed with CBD. One letter suggested Moth may have an "atypical form" of the condition, or perhaps "an even more unusual disorder".

The Observer also said the couple had lost their home after Winn took out a loan to cover money she had been accused of stealing from a previous employer, and not in a bad business deal as Winn described in her book.

In her statement, Winn said the two cases were separate. She stood by her description of how the couple came to lose their home and wrote in detail about an investment in a property portfolio that left the couple liable for large sums of money.

However, in relation to the Observer's accusation that she had defrauded her previous employer of £64,000, Winn acknowledged making "mistakes" earlier in her career, and said it had been a pressured time.

"Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry," she said.

But she added the case had been settled between her and her ex-employer on a "non-admissions basis", and although she was questioned by police, she was not charged.

Winn also said the couple did not have any outstanding debts, and clarified that a house in France that the Observer said they also owned was "an uninhabitable ruin in a bramble patch", which an estate agent had advised was not worth selling.

The Salt Path has sold more than two million copies since its publication in March 2018, and a film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs was released earlier this year.

Winn has written two sequels, The Wild Silence and Landlines, which also focus on themes of nature, wild camping, homelessness and walking.

Parliament's standards commissioner has launched an investigation into ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe.

The BBC understands it is for allegedly failing to register hundreds of thousands of pounds raised in donations to fund his independent "Rape Gang Inquiry".

More than £600,000 has been donated to a Crowdfunder started by Lowe in March to support a national inquiry into gang-based sexual exploitation across the UK. So far, Lowe has not declared any of the money on his MPs' register.

Lowe started the project before the PM announced a government-backed national inquiry into grooming gangs last month. He has since said his investigation will continue regardless. Lowe has been approached for comment.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has confirmed they are investigating whether Lowe breached parliamentary rules on declaring donations within the 28-days - as set out in the MPs' Code of Conduct.

Under parliamentary rules, MPs must declare any donation from a single source over £1,500 - or over £300 in earnings or gifts.

Lowe's Crowdfunder includes a statement that donors giving above the parliamentary limit will have their names published in the Commons register.

Most of the £600,000 came in small sums - but records show over a dozen donations exceeded £1,500, none of which have appeared in Lowe's register of financial interests.

Lowe was elected as a Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth in 2024 but was suspended by the party in March, amid claims of threats towards the party's chairman, Zia Yusuf.

In May, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to press charges over threats he was alleged to have made. Lowe claimed in a BBC Newsnight interview that he had been the victim of a "political assassination attempt".

Not long after his suspension from Reform, Lowe set up his Crowdfunder - accusing ministers of failing victims and saying: "Our gutless political class is too cowardly to even start to process what has truly happened."

Lowe's Rape Gang Inquiry has set up a board, including Conservative MP Esther McVey.

According to the inquiries social media page it has sent "hundreds and hundreds of FOI requests to every local council, police force, NHS trust and more in order to uncover vital information relating to the rape gangs".

Lowe has promised to stream hearings online and insisted his private investigation will continue to push for accountability.

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