US President Donald Trump says "great progress" was made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.

He said the call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was "very productive", adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.

Trump did not confirm a date for his meeting with Putin in Budapest. The Kremlin said work on the summit would begin "immediately" after the "extremely frank and trustful" call.

The talks came a day before Ukraine's President Zelensky was to visit the White House, and with Trump weighing whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.

As he arrived in the US, Zelensky said Moscow was "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks".

Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over".

He said "high level advisors" from both countries would meet at an unspecified location next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.

Trump also said he would update Zelensky on his talks with Putin on Friday, adding: "I believe great progress was made with today's telephone conversation."

He later told reporters he expected to meet Putin "within two weeks".

Asked about the prospect of giving the missiles to Ukraine after his call with Putin, Trump said "we can't deplete" the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding "we need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that".

Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, said Russia launching overnight strikes on Ukraine "hours before" Putin's call with Trump "exposes Moscow's real attitude toward peace".

In a statement to the BBC's US partner CBS, she added: "These assaults show that Moscow's strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure - through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense, and the supply of long-range capabilities."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X the planned Budapest meeting was "great news for the peace-loving people of the world".

Earlier, he also said: "Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent."

Trump has taken a much tougher line towards Putin over the Ukraine war since a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August failed to produce a decisive breakthrough in attempts to broker a peace deal.

The pair met on US soil on 15 August for a summit which the US president hoped would help convince the Russian president to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the Ukraine war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.

Since then, neither the White House or Kremlin have public confirmed any communications between the two.

During his presidential election campaign, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within days but has since admitted resolving the conflict has been more challenging than any he has been involved in since returning to power.

Trump had been seen as more sympathetic to Russia than his predecessor Joe Biden, and strained relations with Zelensky came to a head on 28 February when he and Vice-President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office on live television.

But public relations with Zelensky have vastly improved in recent months.

In September, Trump signalled a major shift in his view of the conflict, saying he believed Kyiv could "win all of Ukraine back in its original form", a far cry from his public calls for Kyiv to cede territory occupied by Russia.

During Zelensky's upcoming visit to Washington on Friday, his third since January, the subject of Tomahawk missiles is likely to be high on the agenda.

Zelensky has called on the US to provide Ukraine with the advanced missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles).

Asked earlier this week if he was considering giving Ukraine the missiles, he said: "We'll see... I may."

In late July, Trump set Putin a deadline of less than a fortnight to agree to a ceasefire or face sweeping sanctions, including measures against countries which still trade with Russia.

But he did not follow through the threat after Putin agreed to meet Trump in Alaska, which the US president hailed as a significant diplomatic success at the time, despite it not producing any tangible outcome.

Earlier on Thursday, India's foreign ministry cast doubt on a claim made by Trump a day earlier saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.

An Indian government spokesman said he was "not aware of any conversation between the two leaders" taking place the previous day, after Trump said Modi had assured him purchases would stop "within a short period of time".

The US has pushed for countries - in particular India, China and Nato members - to stop buying Russian energy in an effort to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin. Zelensky has also repeatedly echoed those calls.

Baek Se-hee, the South Korean author of the bestselling memoir I Want to Die but I Want To Eat Tteokbokki has died at the age of 35.

Her 2018 book, a compilation of conversations with her psychiatrist about her depression, was a cultural phenomenon with its themes of mental health resonating with readers across the world.

Originally written in Korean, it found international acclaim after its English translation was published in 2022.

The details surrounding her death are unclear.

Baek donated her organs - her heart, lungs, liver and kidneys - which have helped to save five lives, the Korean Organ Donation Agency said in a statement on Friday.

The statement also included comments from her sister, which said that Baek had wanted to "share her heart with others through her work, and to inspire hope".

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, published in 2018, has sold more than a million copies worldwide and been translated in 25 countries.

The runaway bestseller was celebrated for normalising mental health conversations and its nuanced take on inner struggles - most notably, the author's personal conflict between depressive thoughts and her appreciation for simple joys.

"The human heart, even when it wants to die, quite often wants at the same time to eat some tteokbokki, too," goes the book's most famous line.

Born in 1990, Baek Se-hee took creative writing in university and worked for five years at a publishing house, according to her short biography on Bloomsbury Publishing, which produced the English version of her 2018 memoir.

For a decade she received treatment for dysthymia, a mild but long-lasting type of depression, which formed the basis of her bestseller, said her Bloomsbury bio.

A sequel, I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, was published in Korean in 2019. Its English translation was published in 2024.

A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line. If you are outside of the UK, you can visit the Befrienders website.

Live from New York: It's mayoral debate night.

The three leading candidates for New York City mayor took the stage at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan Thursday night to make a case to lead America's biggest city.

Early voting in the race is set to begin next week, and the most recent polling, suggests Zohran Mamdani has widened his lead to 46 percent, while Andrew Cuomo stands at 33 percent.

The outcome of the race could have political implications beyond the Empire State as President Donald Trump looms large, and whoever wins will likely face pressure from Washington in some form.

The Democratic Party nationally also is likely watching to see if the America's biggest Democratic stronghold chooses an establishment, centrist Cuomo, who is running as an independent or the progressive Mamdani. The winner could help determine the kind of candidate and platform Democrats choose in the future following their staggering 2024 loss to Trump.

Republicans also will watch to see if their candidate, Curtis Sliwa, continues to make inroads with his public safety platform.

Here are five big takeaways from tonight's debate.

Mamdani addresses his support for Palestinians

Mamdani's past statements on Israel and Palestinians came up several times during the night in questions from moderators and opponents' criticisms.

The candidate has stressed his support for Palestinians and statehood, and has criticized Israel's military operation in Gaza.

He also was criticized for declining to condemn the phrase "globalise the intifada" when probed by interviewers, but has said he would seek to serve as a mayor for all New Yorkers, including its large and ideologically diverse Jewish population.

Cuomo, however, attacked Mamdani for his views, calling the New York state assemblyman a "divisive personality across the board."

The fourth man: Donald Trump

Although there were three candidates at tonight's debate, another name kept coming up: Donald Trump.

President Trump has implied he wants to send the National Guard into cities controlled by Democrats - in spite of resistance - and has moved to withhold government funds for infrastructure projects in New York City. Trump also has prioritized New York City for his mass deportation policy, and the mayor — who has little power over federal immigration enforcement — will likely have to weigh the city's response.

Sliwa, the Republican, noted that the mayor would need to get along with Trump regardless of political views. But Mamdani made his opposition to Trump explicit from his very first response, promising to "take on Trump."

Cuomo positioned himself as the only candidate experienced enough to deal with the current White House, warning "it will be Mayor Trump" if Mamdani is elected.

"I fought Donald Trump," he told voters. "When I'm fighting for New York, I am not going to stop."

Affordability front and center

As large as Trump looms, the biggest policy issue around this mayoral election is affordability. New Yorkers face high costs of living on everything - especially rent and groceries.

In his opening statement, Sliwa acknowledged the "really serious issues of affordability" facing the city. He called for the next mayor to free up vacant apartments in NYCHA - New York's public housing programme — and allow people to move in.

The moderators directly asked each candidate how much they paid for rent, groceries and whether they paid off credit card debt monthly. The candidates pitched a volley of proposals, including Mamdani's plan to make buses free and Cuomo's proposal to place income limits on people who resided in rent-stabilized apartments.

He criticised Mamdani for living in a rent-stablised apartment, even though his parents are wealthy (his mother is the filmmaker Mira Nair).

"If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him," Mamdani said. "If you know the problem in this city is that your rent is too high, vote for me."

Cuomo also opposed Mamdani's proposed rent freeze on stabilized apartments, saying it would only postpone future increases, force building owners into bankruptcy, and fail New Yorkers who don't live in rent-stabilized apartments.

• Former Governor Andrew Cuomo announces run for New York City mayor
• FULL COVERAGE: Mamdani, Cuomo, Sliwa debate
• Who is Zohran Mamdani?
• How Mamdani stunned New York - and what Democrats can learn from his win

Cuomo's controversies still loom

Cuomo touted his decades of experience in office, rising from federal housing secretary during President Bill Clinton's administration to New York's governor.

But his controversies while governor have shadowed his campaign and Cuomo came prepared for a fight.

He resigned as governor in 2021 after an investigation by the state attorney general found he had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo apologised for acting "in a way that made people feel uncomfortable" but denied allegations.

The New York attorney general also investigated his administration for undercounting nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, finding he understated the actual number of deaths.

Mamdani attacked Cuomo on these matters, accusing him of "sending seniors to their death in nursing homes," and accused him of lacking integrity.

Cuomo said the allegations about harming seniors in nursing homes was "totally false."

"During Covid, everyone did whatever they could in this state, and there have been numerous investigations where they've gone through it, and they said we followed federal guidance," Cuomo said. "But yes, people died during Covid. And my heart breaks for everyone that broken, that died in this state and across this nation."

Sliwa, too, attacked Cuomo for the "lawsuits filed against you for sexual harassment." The former governor rebutted that the case brought New York attorney general Letitia James, who investigated the misconduct claims, "was political."

Curtis Sliwa makes his mark

Sliwa held his own as the only Republican on stage.

His voting bloc might be in the minority in New York City, but the 2024 presidential election revealed that residents prioritise public safety issues and Sliwa hammered that repeatedly. As the founder of the Guardian Angels, a New York City organization devoted to crime prevention, he seized the opportunity to connect with voters.

The longtime New York media and political personality also knew how to make himself heard. He frequently interjected, telling moderators he wanted to speak, and elbowing his way into the debate's most heated moments. From centre stage, he took swings at both opponents in equal measure.

He felt confident after the debate, saying his night went "extraordinarily well" and likening his opponents to "two kids in the schoolyard.

John Bolton, who served as Donald Trump's national security adviser before becoming a vocal critic of the president, has been criminally indicted on federal charges.

The Department of Justice presented a case to a grand jury in Maryland on Thursday, and they agreed there was enough evidence to indict Bolton.

It comes after FBI agents searched Bolton's home and office in August as part of an investigation into the handling of classified information.

The indictment makes Bolton, 76, the third of the US president's political opponents to face charges in recent week, after former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Bolton has not yet commented, but he has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, earlier said Bolton had handled records appropriately.

He was fired from Trump's first administration in 2019. His 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, recounted his time working under Trump and portrayed him as a president who was ill-informed about geopolitics and whose decision-making was dominated by a desire to be re-elected.

The White House filed a lawsuit to block the book from being published, arguing it contained classified information and had not been properly vetted. A judge denied the request and the book was released days later.

The US Department of Justice then opened an investigation into whether Bolton had mishandled classified information by disclosing certain information in the book.

Asked about the indictment on Thursday at the White House, Trump said he did not know about it, but added that Bolton was "a bad guy".

Trump has previously described Bolton as "grossly incompetent" and "a liar". He has also called for him to be prosecuted.

Asked in August about the investigation into Bolton, Trump said he did not "want to get involved" and had not directly ordered the searches of Bolton's home and office, but referred to Bolton as a "sleazebag".

Around the time the searches began, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X: "NO ONE is above the law." The post did not name Bolton.

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

Bolton, who served as George W Bush's UN ambassador, was among former officials critical of Trump who had their Secret Service protection stripped by the Trump administration in January.

He is the third Trump critic to be criminally charged since September.

New York City Attorney General Letitia James was criminally indicted on bank fraud charges in October.

Former FBI director James Comey was indicted in late September on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

The indictments followed a social media post from Trump, where he called on US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who leads the justice department, to prosecute his political opponents.

The post named Comey, James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who oversaw Trump's first impeachment trial.

"We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility," he wrote.

The family of a British girl who disappeared in Australia more than 50 years ago has threatened to name a key person of interest unless he comes forward to answer their questions.

Authorities believe three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer was abducted from Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong in January 1970.

A suspect was charged with her abduction and murder, but his 2019 trial collapsed after a detailed confession made when he was teen was ruled inadmissible. He denies any wrongdoing.

Known only as Mercury, the man's identity is protected as he was a minor at the time, but a politician has offered to name him under parliamentary privilege as the family pushes for a fresh investigation.

"[Mercury]'s got until Wednesday night," Cheryl's brother Ricki Nash told reporters on Friday.

Jeremy Buckingham, a New South Wales parliamentarian who has been supporting the Grimmer family, said he's prepared to use parliamentary privilege to name the man when state parliament resumes sitting on Thursday.

Mr Nash wants Mercury to explain to the family how he knew information contained in his confession - and if it was true or not.

"Enough is enough," he said, at times on the verge of tears. "We want the truth to come out."

Cheryl had been on the beach at Fairy Meadow with her family on 12 January 1970. When the family decided to pack up, Mr Nash, as the eldest brother, had been put in charge of his siblings and told to go to the bathroom block.

Cheryl ran giggling into the ladies' changing rooms and refused to come out. Too embarrassed to enter himself, Mr Nash went back to the beach to tell his mother to help. When they returned, 90 seconds later, the toddler was gone.

The family had only recently migrated to Australia from Bristol as so-called Ten Pound Poms.

Despite extensive searches, there were no leads. Then in 2017, a man in his 60s was charged with Cheryl's abduction and murder after officers discovered a confession made to police by a teenage boy in 1971.

A judge later ruled the confession could not be presented as trial evidence and the charges against him were dropped.

On Friday, the family released a lengthy document detailing the missteps they say were made by authorities in NSW in the search for Cheryl, and called for more answers.

"We've made various requests to NSW authorities for a fresh prosecution or a fresh inquest but to no avail," the family said in the letter.

"We feel that we have been fobbed off numerous times by the police, saying that they're conducting reviews of the case or exploring leads that make no sense to us. The incompetence and negligence in the NSW police investigation of this case over much of the past 55 years is unfathomable."

NSW Police have defended their conduct, reiterating that homicide detectives are still investigating Cheryl's disappearance - and that a A$1m reward for information remains on offer.

"Police continue to examine every line of inquiry and search for answers into Cheryl's death," NSW Police said in a statement.

Three potential eyewitnesses came forward after the BBC aired the Fairy Meadow true crime podcast in 2022, which has since been downloaded five million times. Their contacts were passed on to investigators.

But the family was recently told that a four-year-long review of the case found there was no new evidence that could lead to a conviction - even though the new potential eyewitnesses were not formally interviewed by officers.

The family, alongside a volunteer team using cadaver detection dogs, also searched an "area of interest" they hoped would be a breakthrough in the case earlier this month. But police said that a subsequent search of the area only found animal bones.

Cheryl's family disputes the police's response and said volunteers were back in the area on Friday, collecting soil samples to be sent to the UK and the US for further analysis.

"Cheryl disappeared more than 55 years ago. It's time for answers, it's time for accountability," the family said.

It comes as the NSW parliament announced an inquiry into long-term missing persons cases in the state - including Cheryl's. It will look into how investigations have been carried out and ways of improvement.

A Taiwanese airline has apologised for requesting paperwork from a dead employee, in the latest development of a case that has sparked widespread anger.

The 34-year-old Eva Air flight attendant, surnamed Sun, died earlier this month after reportedly feeling unwell during a flight.

Many online have speculated she was overworked.

Taiwanese authorities and Eva Air are investigating her death, focusing on whether she was denied medical help or discouraged from taking sick leave.

Ms Sun reportedly felt ill on 24 September during a flight from Milan to Eva Air's base in Taoyuan City in Taiwan.

She was hospitalised upon arrival and eventually died on 8 October.

Anonymous social media users claiming to be her colleagues have alleged Ms Sun was pushed to continue working even when she felt unwell.

The China Medical University Hospital in Taichung, where she died, has not officially disclosed the cause of her death.

Flight records in the last six months showed that Ms Sun had flown an average of 75 hours per month, which is within regulatory limits, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported. She joined the airline in 2016.

According to Ms Sun's family, days after her death her phone received a text message from an Eva Air representative asking for documents proving that Ms Sun had applied for leave in late September, which was the period she was in hospital.

The representative asked her to send in a picture of the leave documents. The family replied the text with a copy of Ms Sun's death certificate.

Senior officials of the company told a press conference on Friday that the text was "a mistake by an internal employee" and that they have personally apologised to Ms Sun's family for the error.

At the press conference on Friday, EVA Air President Sun Chia-Ming said "the departure of Ms Sun is the pain in our hearts forever."

"We will carry out the investigation [into her death] with the most responsible attitude," he said.

Since 2013, Eva Air has been fined seven times, mostly for offences related to staff working overtime, CNA said.

This week, thousands lined the streets of Manchester for the funeral of boxer Ricky Hatton, while Sebastien Lecornu found himself back in his old job, and Wicked star Cynthia Erivo wowed the cast of Strictly Come Dancing.

But how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world over the past seven days?

Quiz collated by Ben Fell.

Fancy testing your memory? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.

Toting sub-machine guns and sometimes wearing masks as they drive along the streets of Uganda, members of an elite military unit are increasingly viewed as a private army to keep 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni in power - along with his ever-growing family dynasty.

Museveni has led Uganda since 1986, when his rebel forces marched into the capital, Kampala. He has since won four elections - all marred by allegations of violence and rigging.

But this is nothing new in the country - since Uganda gained independence in 1962, power has only ever changed hands through rebellions or military coups.

Museveni is seeking re-election next year and the opposition fears that the Special Forces Command (SFC) could be used to prevent it from campaigning, as it says was the case in 2021.

But the SFC, which for years was commanded by Museveni's son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has been accused by government critics of abducting, torturing and killing opposition activists all year round, not just during elections. The SFC denies these allegations.

"It's like a shadow army within the army which is only answerable to the president and his son. Its rise and influence is causing resentment among senior generals," one military source told the BBC.

This is compounded by the fact that Gen Kainerugaba, 51, who is now the army chief, and has said he wants to succeed his father one day, has enlisted his own son into the army.

Gen Kainerugaba has also been contemptuous of some long-serving generals, calling one a "buffoon".

His remarks sent shockwaves through military and political circles, but the government downplayed them as "mere social-media banter" - something for which Gen Kainerugaba is well known.

Several years ago he made a joke remark about invading neighbouring Kenya, to the dismay of generals.

Analysts say the unit has become so influential that it rivals the power of the regular army, which still has commanders who fought in the guerrilla war that brought Museveni and his National Resistance Movement (NRM) to power.

These observers have raised fears that the two could clash one day - as in Sudan where a civil war has broken out following a power struggle between the army and a paramilitary group once allied with it, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The unit now known as the SFC was established when Museveni first took office, and has a motto stating "there is no substitute for loyalty".

"The SFC is the most powerful unit within the Ugandan military, comprising the [most] highly trained, best-equipped, and best-funded officers in the country," Dr Gerald Bareebe, a Uganda-born academic based at Canada's York University, told the BBC.

Both the Ugandan army and the SFC declined to comment when approached by the BBC.

Museveni has previously defended the SFC, saying it was formed for Ugandans. He said that only people who did not wish Uganda well could be unhappy with such a force.

But Museveni's critics see it differently - arguing that the president has ruled with an iron fist since seizing power, and has turned the country into his family's fiefdom.

They note that the president's wife, Janet, is the education minister and Gen Kainerugaba is the army chief. His grandson's enrolment into the army - announced in July - is seen as perpetuating the family dynasty.

Gen Kainerugaba has twice led the SFC and is credited with expanding it into a force with an estimated membership of more than 10,000. The regular army is thought to have around 40,000 active members.

"They go through specialised training. And also they have sophisticated weapons, unlike the regular army," a former senior military officer told the BBC.

Although his father promoted him to chief of the defence forces in March last year, Gen Kainerugaba is said to have maintained de facto control over the SFC, with its current commander, Maj Gen David Mugisha, reporting to him.

Gen Kainerugaba mostly operates from the unit's headquarters - in a building named after his father - in Entebbe, about 34km (21 miles) south of the capital, Kampala.

The SFC boasts on its website that it carries out specialised missions "at a moment's notice", and is assigned to secure critical installations such as the main airport and oil fields.

It is widely suspected to have crossed into Kenya last November to capture opposition politician Kizza Besigye, once Museveni's doctor, and take him back to Uganda to face trial for treason, which has yet to start. The army's prosecutor has acknowledged the involvement of the Ugandan security forces.

Analysts like Dr Bareebe feel the SFC's core function "is to guarantee regime survival" by fending off threats - not only from the opposition but also army generals.

"It plays a disproportionately central role in suppressing anti-regime mobilisation and shielding the ruling NRM from both internal dissent and external threats," Dr Bareebe said.

Although the SFC has denied involvement in the wave of abductions and torture of opposition members, some of its officers have been convicted of abusing their power.

The most prominent case was that of a 32-year-old SFC soldier, who was court-martialled and sentenced to death last November for shooting dead three people and injuring two others, including a one-year-old child.

In May, the presidency said it was investigating a reported incident where SFC soldiers were accused of torturing the driver of a boda boda - as motorbike taxis are known locally. The rider had been rushing to reach his pregnant wife when he got caught up in a presidential convoy.

In the same month, Gen Kainerugaba sparked public outrage after he confirmed the detention of an opposition leader's bodyguard, who had been missing for days.

He said his "boys" were holding Edward Sebuufu, alias Eddie Mutwe, "in my basement", and in a social media post, attached a photograph of the bodyguard with a clean-shaven head.

Gen Kainerugaba mocked Mr Sebuufu, saying he was "looking very smart these days" as his beard had been shaved by "my boy", referring to a junior soldier.

The Uganda Law Society said Mr Sebuufu's ordeal had not been an isolated case, but was "part of a systematic campaign to silence dissent and crush the aspirations of people yearning for freedom".

It added that the incident underscored "a dangerous nexus of military power and political oppression".

The shadowy nature of the unit and its operations have often led to accusations that its existence was illegal.

But in June, parliament passed a controversial legislative amendment, recognising the SFC as one of four official military services - along with the land forces, air force and reserve force.

Opposition MPs criticised the move, saying the unit should not be given such legitimacy and should instead be disbanded.

"The new law validates an entity that has been operating illegally," said opposition MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda.

For Dr Bareebe, the SFC's "elevation in law merely reflects its already dominant position within Uganda's militarised power structure and reinforces its role as the cornerstone of regime security".

This concern was shared by respected Ugandan analyst Godber Tumushabe. He recently warned that despite the country's apparent stability, "all that we have is the absence of war".

A senior army officer, who preferred not to be named for fear of repercussions, told the BBC that there has been growing discontent within the military about the unit's recruitment process as it appeared to be along ethnic lines.

Various sources, including those in the military, told the BBC that the SFC was heavily dominated by officers from President Museveni's Banyankore ethnic group, and related communities, in order to guarantee loyalty.

"If you look at all SFC commanders since its inception, they come from Museveni's ethnic group," says Nganda, the opposition MP.

Of the six commanders who have held the position since 2007, only one does not hail from the west country, where the Banyankore live.

Given these competing interests, analysts fear that a power struggle could break out between rival military factions in the post-Museveni era.

"My greatest fear is that we don't know what will happen when Museveni goes and there is dissent within the army," Nganda said.

Dr Bareebe echoed this concern: "A stand-off between the SFC and the regular army - each with its own loyalties, interests, and command structures - could trigger significant political instability and even violence, especially in the absence of a clear succession plan."

But other analysts disagree, saying that this is where Gen Kainerugaba will come into his own given his long career with both the army and SFC.

They argue he is well placed to hold the rival factions together and ensure that the Museveni dynasty continues, guaranteeing stability in Uganda.

Such an outcome would of course be seen as undemocratic by the opposition.

Robert Kyagulanyi, a former pop star better known as Bobi Wine who is running against President Museveni for a second time next year, describes the unit as a "torture squad".

Earlier this year Gen Kainerugaba threatened to behead the opposition leader, though he later deleted the "joke" tweet and apologised.

Bobi Wine told the BBC he and his colleagues were often targeted and beaten up by SFC officers - and he wants the squad disbanded.

"This is largely seen as the section in the military that is responsible for regime survival through brutality," he said. "They operate with impunity and they operate under the protection of General Museveni and his son."

More about Uganda from the BBC:

• Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?
• How Besigye disappeared in Kenya and ended up in military court
• Muhoozi Kainerugaba - Uganda's ambitious tweeting general
• How an ex-rebel has stayed in power
• Bobi Wine - Uganda's 'ghetto president'

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

Blocking Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending an Aston Villa match is the "wrong decision", the prime minister has said.

Followers of the Israeli team will not be allowed to attend the Europa League match on 6 November because of safety concerns, the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches said on Thursday.

Sir Keir Starmer criticised the move, saying "we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets" and that the role of police was "to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation".

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded the decision a "national disgrace" and suggested Sir Keir should act to reverse it.

She wrote on X that Starmer should "guarantee that Jewish fans can walk into any football stadium in this country".

"If not, it sends a horrendous and shameful message: there are parts of Britain where Jews simply cannot go."

West Midlands Police said the game had been classified as high risk based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including "violent clashes and hate crime offences" between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a match in Amsterdam in November 2024.

The force said it had concerns about its ability to deal with potential protests at the match at Villa Park.

The Safety Advisory Group, which issues safety certificates for matches, told Aston Villa that no travelling fans would be permitted at the match in Birmingham.

Ayoub Khan, the Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, welcomed the decision.

He said: "From the moment that the match was announced, it was clear that there were latent safety risks that even our capable security and police authorities would not be able to fully manage.

"With so much hostility and uncertainty around the match, it was only right to take drastic measures."

US President Donald Trump says "great progress" was made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.

He said the call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was "very productive", adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.

Trump did not confirm a date for his meeting with Putin in Budapest. The Kremlin said work on the summit would begin "immediately" after the "extremely frank and trustful" call.

The talks came a day before Ukraine's President Zelensky was to visit the White House, and with Trump weighing whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.

As he arrived in the US, Zelensky said Moscow was "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks".

Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over".

He said "high level advisors" from both countries would meet at an unspecified location next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.

Trump also said he would update Zelensky on his talks with Putin on Friday, adding: "I believe great progress was made with today's telephone conversation."

He later told reporters he expected to meet Putin "within two weeks".

Asked about the prospect of giving the missiles to Ukraine after his call with Putin, Trump said "we can't deplete" the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding "we need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that".

Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, said Russia launching overnight strikes on Ukraine "hours before" Putin's call with Trump "exposes Moscow's real attitude toward peace".

In a statement to the BBC's US partner CBS, she added: "These assaults show that Moscow's strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure - through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense, and the supply of long-range capabilities."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X the planned Budapest meeting was "great news for the peace-loving people of the world".

Earlier, he also said: "Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent."

Trump has taken a much tougher line towards Putin over the Ukraine war since a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August failed to produce a decisive breakthrough in attempts to broker a peace deal.

The pair met on US soil on 15 August for a summit which the US president hoped would help convince the Russian president to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the Ukraine war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.

Since then, neither the White House or Kremlin have public confirmed any communications between the two.

During his presidential election campaign, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within days but has since admitted resolving the conflict has been more challenging than any he has been involved in since returning to power.

Trump had been seen as more sympathetic to Russia than his predecessor Joe Biden, and strained relations with Zelensky came to a head on 28 February when he and Vice-President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office on live television.

But public relations with Zelensky have vastly improved in recent months.

In September, Trump signalled a major shift in his view of the conflict, saying he believed Kyiv could "win all of Ukraine back in its original form", a far cry from his public calls for Kyiv to cede territory occupied by Russia.

During Zelensky's upcoming visit to Washington on Friday, his third since January, the subject of Tomahawk missiles is likely to be high on the agenda.

Zelensky has called on the US to provide Ukraine with the advanced missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles).

Asked earlier this week if he was considering giving Ukraine the missiles, he said: "We'll see... I may."

In late July, Trump set Putin a deadline of less than a fortnight to agree to a ceasefire or face sweeping sanctions, including measures against countries which still trade with Russia.

But he did not follow through the threat after Putin agreed to meet Trump in Alaska, which the US president hailed as a significant diplomatic success at the time, despite it not producing any tangible outcome.

Earlier on Thursday, India's foreign ministry cast doubt on a claim made by Trump a day earlier saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.

An Indian government spokesman said he was "not aware of any conversation between the two leaders" taking place the previous day, after Trump said Modi had assured him purchases would stop "within a short period of time".

The US has pushed for countries - in particular India, China and Nato members - to stop buying Russian energy in an effort to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin. Zelensky has also repeatedly echoed those calls.

An injection to prevent HIV is to be offered to patients on the NHS in England and Wales for the first time, bringing the policy in line with Scotland.

The long-acting shot, given six times a year or every other month, is an alternative to taking daily pills to protect against the virus.

Experts hope the cabotegravir (CAB-LA) injections will help meet the ambition of ending new HIV cases by 2030 in the UK.

Meanwhile, early results for a different injection called lenacapavir suggest it may even be possible to move people on to an annual HIV prevention jab.

'This represents hope'

Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: "The approval of this game-changing injection perfectly embodies what this government is determined to deliver - cutting-edge treatments that save lives and leave no one behind.

"For vulnerable people who are unable to take other methods of HIV prevention, this represents hope."

HIV prevention therapy, known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), is taken by HIV-negative people to reduce the risk of getting HIV.

Pills have been available for years and are still extremely effective at stopping HIV infections, but are not always easy for some to take.

It can be hard to access, not practical, or feel embarrassing. For example, people might worry someone like parents or housemates could find their pills.

Homelessness and domestic violence can make it difficult to take oral PrEP every day.

An injection which lasts for months offers convenience and discretion.

HIV is a virus that damages the cells in the immune system and weakens the body's ability to fight everyday infections and diseases.

It can be caught during unprotected sex or through sharing needles. Mothers can also pass it to their baby at birth.

Cabotegravir should be used in combination with safer sex practices, such as use of condoms.

The NHS has an undisclosed discount from the manufacturer for the treatment that has a list price of around £7,000 per patient per year.

The jab will be considered for adults and adolescents with a healthy weight who are at high risk of sexually acquired HIV and eligible for PrEP, but for whom taking oral tablets would be difficult. It’s thought around 1,000 people will be offered it.

They will be able to get it from NHS-operated sexual health clinics "in coming months" says the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Charities say some people face long waiting times for appointments at clinics and the rollout must happen quickly.

Richard Angell, of the Terrence Higgins Trust, said it was time to explore delivering the "transformative therapy" in other settings, not just sexual health clinics.

"It's highly effective and acceptable for patients, and a vital tool for tackling inequalities – with the potential to reach those who are not currently accessing other HIV prevention."

Official figures for England show the number of people taking PrEP in sexual health services is increasing.

Last year,146,098 HIV-negative people accessing sexual health services had a PrEP need because they were at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.

Of those, about 76% (111,123) began or continued PrEP - a 7.7% rise from 2023.

PrEP need is not being identified and met equitably though.

Access to the treatment varies significantly by group, with uptake highest among white (79.4%) and ethnic minority (77.8%) gay, bisexual and all men who have sex with men, but much lower among black African heterosexual women (34.6%) and men (36.4%).

At the same time, HIV testing has expanded across hospital A&E departments in England. Currently, 89 routinely test anyone who has blood taken, specifically in cities and towns with high HIV prevalence.

Listen to Michelle read this article

Alan Carr's days on The Celebrity Traitors looked perilous from the start. Just 32 minutes into the first episode, after the comedian had been selected as a "traitor", his body started to betray him.

Beads of sweat began forming on his forehead, making his face shiny. "I thought I wanted to be a traitor but I have a sweating problem," he admitted to cameras. "And I can't keep a secret."

Professor Gavin Thomas, a microbiologist at the University of York, was watching the episode. "[Alan] does sweat a lot - and it looks like eccrine sweat," he says, referring to a common type of sweat, which comes from glands all over the body that can be activated by stress.

Yet it was Carr's willingness to talk about his sweatiness - and the excitement of viewers who were quick to analyse it on social media - that was most striking of all.

Alan Carr is not the first. All sorts of well-known people, from Hollywood actors and models to singers, have opened up about bodily functions in ever more brazen detail over the last decade. (Fellow Traitors contestant, the actress Celia Imrie, admitted in an episode this week: "I just farted... It's the nerves, but I always own up.")

On sweat struggles specifically, Steve Carrell and Emma Stone have talked openly, and model Chrissy Teigen revealed in 2019 that the perspiration around her armpits was so irritating that she had Botox injections to prevent it. Then, singer Adele announced on stage in Las Vegas in 2023 that she had contracted a fungal infection as a result of perspiring.

"I sweat a lot and it doesn't go anywhere, so I basically am just sitting in my own sweat," she told the thousands of people in the audience.

Now fitness shops sell "sweat suits", for use during exercise - and then there is the very name of the longstanding British activewear brand Sweaty Betty. Its founder declared a few years ago: "It's cool to sweat now."

So, does this all really signal the end of the once-widespread taboo about talking about perspiration?

The sauna business meeting

At a sauna in Peckham, south London, young professionals sit on scorching hot, wood-panelled benches, dressed in swimming trunks and bathing suits. Outside, they dunk themselves in metal ice baths. A DJ plays music in the background.

Josh Clarricoats, 33, who owns a food start-up nearby, is a frequent visitor. He meets his business partner there every fortnight for meetings.

"Actually our best creative thinking happens when we're there," he admits. "It's something about sweating, being uncomfortable and the endorphins it releases."

Some professionals might have once felt awkward about sweating in front of colleagues, he concedes - but less so today. "You get sweaty, you see your colleague dripping in sweat, I don't think people really worry about that."

Ultra-hot bathing houses have long been part of everyday life in Finland, where they are associated with löyly - the idea that sweat, heat, and steam help you reach a new spiritual state. But in recent years they've trickled into English-speaking countries.

There is a small but growing trend among British and American professionals, in particular, who are adopting the Finnish saunailta tradition, and meeting work colleagues inside saunas.

Last month The Wall Street Journal declared that the sauna has become the "hottest place to network". The idea is that sweat puts everyone on the same level, lowering inhibitions and making it easier to forge relationships.

In Scandinavia, "sauna diplomacy" has long been used to lubricate high-level talks - in the 1960s, Finnish president Urho Kekkonen took the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Krushchev, into an all-night sauna to persuade him to allow Finland to repair relations with the West.

Chains of high-end saunas are now springing up in San Francisco and New York too, with members paying as much as $200 (£173) per month to sweat together - in luxury.

There are now more than 400 saunas in the UK, according to the British Sauna Association, a sharp rise from just a few years ago.

Gabrielle Reason, a physiologist and the association's director, has her own surprising view on why. "When you're sweating [in a sauna] … you look an absolute mess but there's something actually very liberating about that, in a world that is very image-focused.

"You smell, you're bright red... You just stop caring what you look like."

Deadly sweat - and shame

It wasn't always this way. We've long had a complicated relationship with sweat - and for years, it was a source of fear.

In medieval England, word spread about a so-called "sweating sickness" that was said to kill its victims within six hours. Some think that Mozart died after contracting the "Picardy sweat", a mysterious illness that made victims drip with perspiration (though the composer's real cause of death remains unclear).

But this fear of sweat was turbocharged in English-speaking countries in the early 20th Century when hygiene brands realised they could use it to sell deodorants, according to Sarah Everts, a chemist and author of The Joy of Sweat.

She says the most "egregious" marketing was aimed at young women. One advert for a deodorant called Mum, published in an American magazine in 1938, urged women to "face the truth about underarm perspiration odour".

It said: "Men do talk about girls behind their backs. Unpopularity often begins with the first hint of underarm odour. This is one fault men can't stand - one fault they can't forgive."

This shame is embedded into Western culture, says Ms Everts, who has long suffered embarrassment about her own clammy skin.

"In a hot yoga class, I'd notice that the first drip of sweat would always come from me," she says. "And I started to think, 'this is a space where I'm supposed to be sweating, and yet I'm mortified'."

But in recent years, that shame has started to fritter away - at least in some quarters.

Rise of the 'sweaty hot girl' aesthetic

The new mood is driven in part by the beauty industry and its new mantra: embrace your perspiration.

Back in 2020, the business magazine Forbes described public sweatiness as the "hottest and coolest fashion trend", whilst Vogue Magazine has run photo features on the charm of a sweaty face, known as "post-gym skin".

Dove, the brand owned by Unilever, launched a marketing campaign in 2023 urging customers to post photographs of their sweaty armpits under the hashtag "Free the Pits".

Remi Bader, a TikTok beauty influencer with more than two million followers, who partnered with them, said in a promotional interview: "I'm very, very open with my followers about how I'm very sweaty. It's so normal."

And what started as niche or a marketing ploy may well have filtered down to the rest of us.

Zoe Nicols, a mobile beauty therapist and former salon owner in Dorset, says she's had customers asking for a "sweaty makeup" look. She calls it a new "Sweaty Hot Girl aesthetic … you want to look like you've just done a hot yoga class or stepped out of the sauna."

But Ms Everts is more sceptical. Whilst it's "wonderful" that people are speaking more positively about their bodies, in her view the trend has been hijacked by the personal hygiene industry for commercial gain.

"It's the next generation of these marketing strategies," she says. "Instead of being like, 'You smell - and that sucks', they say, 'you smell - but we all smell, here's a product that is the solution to that problem'.

"It's a little egregious to be capitalising on the body positivity cultural trend."

'Sweating is an enormous superpower'

There has been much discussion about possible health benefits of sweating - spas offer services promising to "sweat out toxins," using steam, heat, and infrared light. The trend has taken off on social media too, though some of the claims are more reliable than others.

Scientists are sceptical of the idea that you can remove a meaningful amount of "toxins" from your blood via sweating, however.

"I haven't seen any strong empirical evidence," says Davide Filingeri, a physiology professor at the University of Southampton.

Ms Everts is more blunt: "It's completely bananas."

But perspiration is of course beneficial in a very basic way: it cools us down.

Dr Adil Sheraz, a dermatologist at the Royal Free NHS Trust, says the most common form of sweat - eccrine sweat - does a good job of regulating body temperature.

It comes from tiny glands - each person has between two and five million of them - then evaporates from our skin, lowering our temperature.

Ms Everts has traced the benefits of sweating to prehistoric times, when it allowed early humans to work vigorously for long periods in the sun. "Evolutionary biologists point to sweat as one of the things that makes our species unique," says Ms Everts.

"It's an enormous superpower."

'I avoid shaking hands'

Hidden away from all of this is a group for whom sweating can feel like anything but a superpower. Those are people with a medical condition called hyperhidrosis - which causes excessive sweating, even when there's no obvious cause.

It is thought to affect somewhere between one and five percent of people, but has only recently pierced public consciousness.

Doctors say it's not dangerous but it can be distressing.

Melissa, who did not want to share her surname, first noticed the symptoms in childhood. "My hands and feet were constantly sweaty, even when it wasn't hot or nervous," she recalls.

"Other children could hold hands or play without thinking about it, but I'd always be aware of my slippery palms and damp socks."

Even now, she says it affects her confidence. "It makes everyday tasks tricky - holding a pen, using my phone... I sometimes avoid shaking hands or physical contact because I worry people will notice or react badly."

But she has been buoyed by the growing willingness to talk about the condition. And, she adds, "I've learned to adapt."

Ultimately, experts I spoke to predict that our interest in sweat is only likely to grow in the future, as temperatures rise.

Prof Filingeri, of Southampton University believes that climate change will show the limits of perspiration, as humans won't be able to produce sweat quickly enough to compensate for higher temperatures. (Although the spread of air conditioning may mitigate some of this effect.)

"As humans, we're very limited in that physiological capacity."

But Ms Everts believes that the discussions around sweat can only be a good thing in light of this. "Humans will certainly be sweating a lot more in the future," she says.

"I'd argue we need to ditch [any lasting] shame and develop a lot more serenity about sweating."

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The controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has confirmed it suspended operations in Gaza after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect on 10 October.

Despite being funded until November, the organisation said its final delivery was on Friday.

The GHF has been heavily criticised after hundreds of Palestinians were killed while collecting food near its distribution sites. Witnesses say most were killed by Israeli forces.

Israel has regularly denied that its troops fired on civilians at or near the sites and the GHF has maintained that aid distribution at its sites has been carried out "without incident".

The group's northernmost aid distribution site, known as SDS4, was shut down because it was no longer in IDF-controlled territory, said a spokesman.

Satellite imagery revealed it was dismantled shortly after the 10 October ceasefire came into effect. Images show tyre tracks, disturbed earth and detritus strewn across the former compound.

"Right now we're paused," the GHF spokesman said. "We feel like there's still a need, a surge for as much aid as possible. Our goal is to resume aid distribution."

Despite the group's apparent desire to continue there has been speculation the final terms of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel would exclude them.

Meanwhile, analysis of UN-supplied data shows little change in aid collected from crossings after the ceasefire deal came into effect last Friday.

The average amount of aid "collected" - defined by the UN as when it leaves an Israeli-controlled crossing - each day has increased slightly compared with the previous week, but it remains in line with September figures.

UN data shows about 20% of aid leaving a crossing has made it to its intended destination since 19 May. More than 7,000 aid trucks have been "intercepted" either "peacefully by hungry people or forcefully by armed actors", according to UN data.

Aid sources told the BBC they hoped looting would subside in coming weeks as law and order is re-established and the populace is given assurances the ceasefire would hold.

A spokesperson from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said while it was critical for the ceasefire to allow for an increase in aid and other essential supplies, it was important to reach vulnerable Gazans, including in areas that were inaccessible until recently.

OCHA has hundreds of community and household service points involved in distributing aid. It lost access to many, sometimes due to conflict and sometimes due to Israel denying it access.

"We need to re-establish our service points, we need looting to reduce, we need roads to be cleared of unexploded ordnance and we need safety assurances," the OCHA spokesperson said.

People swapping cask ales for cappuccinos or ordering a burger and a beer via Deliveroo rather than at their local are a new threat to pubs, according to the boss of Greene King.

Nick Mackenzie, who runs the brewer and pub chain with 2,700 sites across the UK, agreed there were other businesses fighting for consumers' money as a growing share of the population was not drinking alcohol.

"They're taking away leisure time from the pub, yeah. You know, people are choosing to go into coffee shops," he said. "They are part of that competitor set, as are delivery [apps]."

There are now more than 14,000 cafes and coffee shops across the UK. Pubs still number more than 40,000 and the 57-year-old is adamant that the pub cannot be beaten as a fixture of the community.

Mr Mackenzie was quick to reiterate the special status that pubs hold in the UK, emphasising that "community" was as much a selling point as the beers, wines and spirits they sold.

But can pubs - inextricably linked to the sale of booze - entice the younger generation to its premises when the around one-third of under-25s and 20% of all Brits don't drink alcohol?

He made a point of highlighting the no-alcohol beer on draught after nipping into the New Explorer pub, just off Oxford Street, even while pointing out low-and-no alcohol pints still makes up only a small share of overall sales.

"It means that if you don't drink, you can come to the pub, you can meet friends, you can do the things that everybody does in the pub," he said.

"My experience - and certainly from my own family - I know young people are still out going to pubs and drinking, but we are also having to adapt to trends around well-being, trends towards low-and-no alcohol."

Mr Mackenzie said the "coffee offer now is credible" across Greene King's venues as the industry as a whole adapts to an environment where customers come in to have just a coffee or a meal.

"Pubs are creating environments that now are much more comfortable rather than feeling like [being] sat in a dingy pub. Not all pubs are like that, I know," he added.

And although the brewing boss wasn't yet committing to on-trend iced matcha or pumpkin-spiced lattes, he said Greene King pubs are selling more hot drinks "than ever before".

The industry's trend away from drinks-led "dingy pubs," toward food-led gastro pubs has been in effect for a while — ONS data suggests the share pub company staff work in kitchen-focussed roles surpassed those behind the bar in 2014 and has increased ever since.

More recent has been the number of bars and pubs built around "competitive socialising", where dates or groups split time between the bar and games like crazy golf, shuffleboard or axe-throwing. That sub-set of hospitality has more-than doubled from 280 bars and pubs pre-pandemic to around 600 now, according to data from estate agents Savills.

The Greene King boss said some of his pubs were expanding into competitive socialising using electronic dartboards and shuffleboards to attract and maintain customers who are after an "elevated experience".

If the company was to lean into amusements at more pubs, Mr Mackenzie's CV may be an asset.

Before Greene King he ran Merlin Entertainment, owner of Thorpe Park, Madame Tussauds and Legoland, which had a certain appeal to his two children.

"My kids benefited from that when they were younger — they had theme parks to go to. And when they hit 18, I got back into pubs, so they were quite happy about that too," he said.

No surprises, please

The Greene King boss was speaking to the BBC's Big Boss Interview ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget, and Mr Mackenzie was hoping for "no surprises" from it as the government looks to raise taxes to plug a multi-billion-pound shortfall.

Hospitality and retail companies in particular bore the brunt of the Chancellor's decision last year to increase the amount employers pay for National Insurance, per employee.

What he wanted from Reeves was "less surprises, give us some breathing space, but actually do the things that you said you were going to do in your manifesto about solving the business rates issue".

Top of Mr Mackenzie's Budget wish list after "an avalanche of costs" on the sector was for the government to follow through on its manifesto pledge to reform the business rates system — a tax on commercial premises that can add millions of pounds in costs to companies on UK high streets.

"This industry pays more tax than others. OK? And the business rate specifically is disproportionate. And governments have said they're going to change it ... now they need to do it," he said.

A Government spokesperson said pubs, restaurants and cafes "are vital to local communities.

"That's why we're cutting the cost of licensing, lowering their business rates and helping more hospitality businesses offer pavement drinks and al fresco dining."

Details on changes to business rates reform are expected before the end of the year.

Blocking Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending an Aston Villa match is the "wrong decision", the prime minister has said.

Followers of the Israeli team will not be allowed to attend the Europa League match on 6 November because of safety concerns, the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches said on Thursday.

Sir Keir Starmer criticised the move, saying "we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets" and that the role of police was "to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation".

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded the decision a "national disgrace" and suggested Sir Keir should act to reverse it.

She wrote on X that Starmer should "guarantee that Jewish fans can walk into any football stadium in this country".

"If not, it sends a horrendous and shameful message: there are parts of Britain where Jews simply cannot go."

West Midlands Police said the game had been classified as high risk based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including "violent clashes and hate crime offences" between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a match in Amsterdam in November 2024.

The force said it had concerns about its ability to deal with potential protests at the match at Villa Park.

The Safety Advisory Group, which issues safety certificates for matches, told Aston Villa that no travelling fans would be permitted at the match in Birmingham.

Ayoub Khan, the Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, welcomed the decision.

He said: "From the moment that the match was announced, it was clear that there were latent safety risks that even our capable security and police authorities would not be able to fully manage.

"With so much hostility and uncertainty around the match, it was only right to take drastic measures."

US President Donald Trump says "great progress" was made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.

He said the call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was "very productive", adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.

Trump did not confirm a date for his meeting with Putin in Budapest. The Kremlin said work on the summit would begin "immediately" after the "extremely frank and trustful" call.

The talks came a day before Ukraine's President Zelensky was to visit the White House, and with Trump weighing whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.

As he arrived in the US, Zelensky said Moscow was "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks".

Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over".

He said "high level advisors" from both countries would meet at an unspecified location next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.

Trump also said he would update Zelensky on his talks with Putin on Friday, adding: "I believe great progress was made with today's telephone conversation."

He later told reporters he expected to meet Putin "within two weeks".

Asked about the prospect of giving the missiles to Ukraine after his call with Putin, Trump said "we can't deplete" the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding "we need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that".

Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, said Russia launching overnight strikes on Ukraine "hours before" Putin's call with Trump "exposes Moscow's real attitude toward peace".

In a statement to the BBC's US partner CBS, she added: "These assaults show that Moscow's strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure - through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense, and the supply of long-range capabilities."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X the planned Budapest meeting was "great news for the peace-loving people of the world".

Earlier, he also said: "Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent."

Trump has taken a much tougher line towards Putin over the Ukraine war since a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August failed to produce a decisive breakthrough in attempts to broker a peace deal.

The pair met on US soil on 15 August for a summit which the US president hoped would help convince the Russian president to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the Ukraine war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.

Since then, neither the White House or Kremlin have public confirmed any communications between the two.

During his presidential election campaign, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within days but has since admitted resolving the conflict has been more challenging than any he has been involved in since returning to power.

Trump had been seen as more sympathetic to Russia than his predecessor Joe Biden, and strained relations with Zelensky came to a head on 28 February when he and Vice-President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office on live television.

But public relations with Zelensky have vastly improved in recent months.

In September, Trump signalled a major shift in his view of the conflict, saying he believed Kyiv could "win all of Ukraine back in its original form", a far cry from his public calls for Kyiv to cede territory occupied by Russia.

During Zelensky's upcoming visit to Washington on Friday, his third since January, the subject of Tomahawk missiles is likely to be high on the agenda.

Zelensky has called on the US to provide Ukraine with the advanced missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles).

Asked earlier this week if he was considering giving Ukraine the missiles, he said: "We'll see... I may."

In late July, Trump set Putin a deadline of less than a fortnight to agree to a ceasefire or face sweeping sanctions, including measures against countries which still trade with Russia.

But he did not follow through the threat after Putin agreed to meet Trump in Alaska, which the US president hailed as a significant diplomatic success at the time, despite it not producing any tangible outcome.

Earlier on Thursday, India's foreign ministry cast doubt on a claim made by Trump a day earlier saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.

An Indian government spokesman said he was "not aware of any conversation between the two leaders" taking place the previous day, after Trump said Modi had assured him purchases would stop "within a short period of time".

The US has pushed for countries - in particular India, China and Nato members - to stop buying Russian energy in an effort to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin. Zelensky has also repeatedly echoed those calls.

Former members of the military will be able to start applying for a digital version of their identity cards from Friday.

About 1.8 million veterans are eligible to download the new digital ID to a smartphone - with ministers saying the rollout can serve as a "case study" to show the public how the technology for a planned scheme for all British citizens and residents will work.

Physical veterans' cards will continue to be issued, but the digital version will allow holders to prove their status more easily to access to public services, the government says.

Digital government minister Ian Murray said the veterans' digital ID could also help address "legitimate concerns around privacy and security" of the UK-wide scheme.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the plans for the wider scheme last month as part of efforts to clamp down on illegal working. It will be introduced by 2029 and mandatory in order to work.

The digital veteran card is optional but the government says it will allow former service personnel to show their entitlement to services such as GP and mental health support, supported housing, careers advice as well as reduced entry prices at museums and money off their shopping.

Murray said the veterans ID was "probably a demonstration to the public by default... on the basis that this is the first use case for having a digital credential on your smartphone, and that digital credential is the first sort of verifiable one that government have now launched".

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: "We are modernising our public services so they work around people's lives and keep pace with the digital world we live in.

"The digital veterans' card will help remove barriers, reduce red-tape and make it easier for people to access the public services they need."

The digital veteran card will be the first document to be stored in the government's One Login smartphone app, with digital driving licences set to follow at a later date.

An injection to prevent HIV is to be offered to patients on the NHS in England and Wales for the first time, bringing the policy in line with Scotland.

The long-acting shot, given six times a year or every other month, is an alternative to taking daily pills to protect against the virus.

Experts hope the cabotegravir (CAB-LA) injections will help meet the ambition of ending new HIV cases by 2030 in the UK.

Meanwhile, early results for a different injection called lenacapavir suggest it may even be possible to move people on to an annual HIV prevention jab.

'This represents hope'

Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: "The approval of this game-changing injection perfectly embodies what this government is determined to deliver - cutting-edge treatments that save lives and leave no one behind.

"For vulnerable people who are unable to take other methods of HIV prevention, this represents hope."

HIV prevention therapy, known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), is taken by HIV-negative people to reduce the risk of getting HIV.

Pills have been available for years and are still extremely effective at stopping HIV infections, but are not always easy for some to take.

It can be hard to access, not practical, or feel embarrassing. For example, people might worry someone like parents or housemates could find their pills.

Homelessness and domestic violence can make it difficult to take oral PrEP every day.

An injection which lasts for months offers convenience and discretion.

HIV is a virus that damages the cells in the immune system and weakens the body's ability to fight everyday infections and diseases.

It can be caught during unprotected sex or through sharing needles. Mothers can also pass it to their baby at birth.

Cabotegravir should be used in combination with safer sex practices, such as use of condoms.

The NHS has an undisclosed discount from the manufacturer for the treatment that has a list price of around £7,000 per patient per year.

The jab will be considered for adults and adolescents with a healthy weight who are at high risk of sexually acquired HIV and eligible for PrEP, but for whom taking oral tablets would be difficult. It’s thought around 1,000 people will be offered it.

They will be able to get it from NHS-operated sexual health clinics "in coming months" says the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Charities say some people face long waiting times for appointments at clinics and the rollout must happen quickly.

Richard Angell, of the Terrence Higgins Trust, said it was time to explore delivering the "transformative therapy" in other settings, not just sexual health clinics.

"It's highly effective and acceptable for patients, and a vital tool for tackling inequalities – with the potential to reach those who are not currently accessing other HIV prevention."

Official figures for England show the number of people taking PrEP in sexual health services is increasing.

Last year,146,098 HIV-negative people accessing sexual health services had a PrEP need because they were at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.

Of those, about 76% (111,123) began or continued PrEP - a 7.7% rise from 2023.

PrEP need is not being identified and met equitably though.

Access to the treatment varies significantly by group, with uptake highest among white (79.4%) and ethnic minority (77.8%) gay, bisexual and all men who have sex with men, but much lower among black African heterosexual women (34.6%) and men (36.4%).

At the same time, HIV testing has expanded across hospital A&E departments in England. Currently, 89 routinely test anyone who has blood taken, specifically in cities and towns with high HIV prevalence.

Live from New York: It's mayoral debate night.

The three leading candidates for New York City mayor took the stage at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan Thursday night to make a case to lead America's biggest city.

Early voting in the race is set to begin next week, and the most recent polling, suggests Zohran Mamdani has widened his lead to 46 percent, while Andrew Cuomo stands at 33 percent.

The outcome of the race could have political implications beyond the Empire State as President Donald Trump looms large, and whoever wins will likely face pressure from Washington in some form.

The Democratic Party nationally also is likely watching to see if the America's biggest Democratic stronghold chooses an establishment, centrist Cuomo, who is running as an independent or the progressive Mamdani. The winner could help determine the kind of candidate and platform Democrats choose in the future following their staggering 2024 loss to Trump.

Republicans also will watch to see if their candidate, Curtis Sliwa, continues to make inroads with his public safety platform.

Here are five big takeaways from tonight's debate.

Mamdani addresses his support for Palestinians

Mamdani's past statements on Israel and Palestinians came up several times during the night in questions from moderators and opponents' criticisms.

The candidate has stressed his support for Palestinians and statehood, and has criticized Israel's military operation in Gaza.

He also was criticized for declining to condemn the phrase "globalise the intifada" when probed by interviewers, but has said he would seek to serve as a mayor for all New Yorkers, including its large and ideologically diverse Jewish population.

Cuomo, however, attacked Mamdani for his views, calling the New York state assemblyman a "divisive personality across the board."

The fourth man: Donald Trump

Although there were three candidates at tonight's debate, another name kept coming up: Donald Trump.

President Trump has implied he wants to send the National Guard into cities controlled by Democrats - in spite of resistance - and has moved to withhold government funds for infrastructure projects in New York City. Trump also has prioritized New York City for his mass deportation policy, and the mayor — who has little power over federal immigration enforcement — will likely have to weigh the city's response.

Sliwa, the Republican, noted that the mayor would need to get along with Trump regardless of political views. But Mamdani made his opposition to Trump explicit from his very first response, promising to "take on Trump."

Cuomo positioned himself as the only candidate experienced enough to deal with the current White House, warning "it will be Mayor Trump" if Mamdani is elected.

"I fought Donald Trump," he told voters. "When I'm fighting for New York, I am not going to stop."

Affordability front and center

As large as Trump looms, the biggest policy issue around this mayoral election is affordability. New Yorkers face high costs of living on everything - especially rent and groceries.

In his opening statement, Sliwa acknowledged the "really serious issues of affordability" facing the city. He called for the next mayor to free up vacant apartments in NYCHA - New York's public housing programme — and allow people to move in.

The moderators directly asked each candidate how much they paid for rent, groceries and whether they paid off credit card debt monthly. The candidates pitched a volley of proposals, including Mamdani's plan to make buses free and Cuomo's proposal to place income limits on people who resided in rent-stabilized apartments.

He criticised Mamdani for living in a rent-stablised apartment, even though his parents are wealthy (his mother is the filmmaker Mira Nair).

"If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him," Mamdani said. "If you know the problem in this city is that your rent is too high, vote for me."

Cuomo also opposed Mamdani's proposed rent freeze on stabilized apartments, saying it would only postpone future increases, force building owners into bankruptcy, and fail New Yorkers who don't live in rent-stabilized apartments.

• Former Governor Andrew Cuomo announces run for New York City mayor
• FULL COVERAGE: Mamdani, Cuomo, Sliwa debate
• Who is Zohran Mamdani?
• How Mamdani stunned New York - and what Democrats can learn from his win

Cuomo's controversies still loom

Cuomo touted his decades of experience in office, rising from federal housing secretary during President Bill Clinton's administration to New York's governor.

But his controversies while governor have shadowed his campaign and Cuomo came prepared for a fight.

He resigned as governor in 2021 after an investigation by the state attorney general found he had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo apologised for acting "in a way that made people feel uncomfortable" but denied allegations.

The New York attorney general also investigated his administration for undercounting nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, finding he understated the actual number of deaths.

Mamdani attacked Cuomo on these matters, accusing him of "sending seniors to their death in nursing homes," and accused him of lacking integrity.

Cuomo said the allegations about harming seniors in nursing homes was "totally false."

"During Covid, everyone did whatever they could in this state, and there have been numerous investigations where they've gone through it, and they said we followed federal guidance," Cuomo said. "But yes, people died during Covid. And my heart breaks for everyone that broken, that died in this state and across this nation."

Sliwa, too, attacked Cuomo for the "lawsuits filed against you for sexual harassment." The former governor rebutted that the case brought New York attorney general Letitia James, who investigated the misconduct claims, "was political."

Curtis Sliwa makes his mark

Sliwa held his own as the only Republican on stage.

His voting bloc might be in the minority in New York City, but the 2024 presidential election revealed that residents prioritise public safety issues and Sliwa hammered that repeatedly. As the founder of the Guardian Angels, a New York City organization devoted to crime prevention, he seized the opportunity to connect with voters.

The longtime New York media and political personality also knew how to make himself heard. He frequently interjected, telling moderators he wanted to speak, and elbowing his way into the debate's most heated moments. From centre stage, he took swings at both opponents in equal measure.

He felt confident after the debate, saying his night went "extraordinarily well" and likening his opponents to "two kids in the schoolyard.

News of the phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, in which they agreed to meet in person to discuss the war in Ukraine, will have come as an unwelcome surprise to Kyiv.

The country is being hit hard.

The last 24 hours alone have seen Russia launch dozens of missiles and more than 300 drones at multiple targets.

Once again, they include a large amount of civilian infrastructure with further damage to the country's gas supply network, just as the first signs of cold herald a long, hard winter ahead.

Attacks on the electrical grid are already leading to nationwide power outages.

For Ukraine's government it's a sign of Russian desperation.

The frontlines are at effective stalemate, involving huge loss of life for incremental territorial gains.

And the Russian economy is feeling the effects of the Ukrainian military's increasingly effective drone strikes on oil depots.

So, President Volodymyr Zelensky's big hope was for more American military assistance to keep up that pressure.

Before he boarded his plane to Washington, he seemed to believe that things were going his way.

There was optimistic talk about Trump beginning to see the world through Ukraine's eyes, a big shift from that angry, humiliating Oval Office exchange in February when he accused Zelensky of "gambling with World War Three".

The failure of the Trump-Putin Alaska summit in August and the intensifying bombardment of Ukraine were – it was thought – all causing the US president to lose patience with his "good friend", as he has called Putin.

There were high hopes that Friday's meeting would finally yield the prize Ukraine has been seeking - Trump's permission for the purchase of long-range Tomahawk missiles.

Trump's frustration with Putin was obvious on Sunday when he told reporters: "Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so."

But how much of a game changer the missiles would really be is in much dispute among military experts and, with the complicated logistics, it could be months before they were deployed.

But at the very least they would add to Ukraine's ability to strike deep into the heart of Russia and with a much more powerful weapon than any it currently possesses.

They would also send a potent physical message to Putin about America's shifting allegiances.

So, the two-and-a-half-hour Trump-Putin phone call, that took place while Zelensky was in flight, somewhat steals a march on the Ukrainian president's big moment.

So far, though, he's putting something of a brave face on it, suggesting in a post sent on his arrival in Washington that Russia was panicking.

The Kremlin was "rushing to renew dialogue", he said, precisely because of all the talk of the Tomahawks.

Other analysts will see less panic and more of a classic Putin play at work in the phone call, which was said by the Kremlin to have taken place at Russia's behest.

The issue of the Tomahawks was indeed discussed, with Putin reinforcing his view that their deployment would be seen as a significant act of provocation.

The two men apparently discussed the "colossal prospects" – in Russia's words – for trade if peace were achieved.

And then they agreed to their summit in Hungary. That will probably happen within the next two weeks, Trump said.

• Trump says he will meet Putin in Hungary after 'very productive' call

As Ukraine faces its fourth winter of war, few people here had much belief in Trump's claim that he could turn his "success" in the Middle East into momentum towards peace in Ukraine.

One woman the BBC spoke to, badly injured in a Russian strike on a civilian railway carriage, shrugged her shoulders when we asked her if she saw an easy way out.

"A person like Putin can't be trusted," she said from her hospital bed.

After touching down in Washington on Thursday evening, Zelensky met representatives of defence companies who produce the powerful weapons he says he needs to strengthen Ukraine's protection.

He will still ask the White House for the Tomahawks.

But Trump's willingness to give them was always in doubt and must, surely, be now further called into question.

Meanwhile, Russia is being given something.

A familiar pattern is developing. Every time Trump grows increasingly frustrated with Putin's intransigence over Ukraine he is then placated by a conversation with the Russian president.

Each time they speak he seems to be persuaded of Putin's point of view and backs off his threats to apply tougher sanctions or supply more destructive weapons.

The Hungary summit, offered without concessions, doesn't look like much of a loss of American patience.

Never mind the Tomahawks.

For now, Ukraine has been given a long-range curveball instead.

Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

Listen to Michelle read this article

Alan Carr's days on The Celebrity Traitors looked perilous from the start. Just 32 minutes into the first episode, after the comedian had been selected as a "traitor", his body started to betray him.

Beads of sweat began forming on his forehead, making his face shiny. "I thought I wanted to be a traitor but I have a sweating problem," he admitted to cameras. "And I can't keep a secret."

Professor Gavin Thomas, a microbiologist at the University of York, was watching the episode. "[Alan] does sweat a lot - and it looks like eccrine sweat," he says, referring to a common type of sweat, which comes from glands all over the body that can be activated by stress.

Yet it was Carr's willingness to talk about his sweatiness - and the excitement of viewers who were quick to analyse it on social media - that was most striking of all.

Alan Carr is not the first. All sorts of well-known people, from Hollywood actors and models to singers, have opened up about bodily functions in ever more brazen detail over the last decade. (Fellow Traitors contestant, the actress Celia Imrie, admitted in an episode this week: "I just farted... It's the nerves, but I always own up.")

On sweat struggles specifically, Steve Carrell and Emma Stone have talked openly, and model Chrissy Teigen revealed in 2019 that the perspiration around her armpits was so irritating that she had Botox injections to prevent it. Then, singer Adele announced on stage in Las Vegas in 2023 that she had contracted a fungal infection as a result of perspiring.

"I sweat a lot and it doesn't go anywhere, so I basically am just sitting in my own sweat," she told the thousands of people in the audience.

Now fitness shops sell "sweat suits", for use during exercise - and then there is the very name of the longstanding British activewear brand Sweaty Betty. Its founder declared a few years ago: "It's cool to sweat now."

So, does this all really signal the end of the once-widespread taboo about talking about perspiration?

The sauna business meeting

At a sauna in Peckham, south London, young professionals sit on scorching hot, wood-panelled benches, dressed in swimming trunks and bathing suits. Outside, they dunk themselves in metal ice baths. A DJ plays music in the background.

Josh Clarricoats, 33, who owns a food start-up nearby, is a frequent visitor. He meets his business partner there every fortnight for meetings.

"Actually our best creative thinking happens when we're there," he admits. "It's something about sweating, being uncomfortable and the endorphins it releases."

Some professionals might have once felt awkward about sweating in front of colleagues, he concedes - but less so today. "You get sweaty, you see your colleague dripping in sweat, I don't think people really worry about that."

Ultra-hot bathing houses have long been part of everyday life in Finland, where they are associated with löyly - the idea that sweat, heat, and steam help you reach a new spiritual state. But in recent years they've trickled into English-speaking countries.

There is a small but growing trend among British and American professionals, in particular, who are adopting the Finnish saunailta tradition, and meeting work colleagues inside saunas.

Last month The Wall Street Journal declared that the sauna has become the "hottest place to network". The idea is that sweat puts everyone on the same level, lowering inhibitions and making it easier to forge relationships.

In Scandinavia, "sauna diplomacy" has long been used to lubricate high-level talks - in the 1960s, Finnish president Urho Kekkonen took the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Krushchev, into an all-night sauna to persuade him to allow Finland to repair relations with the West.

Chains of high-end saunas are now springing up in San Francisco and New York too, with members paying as much as $200 (£173) per month to sweat together - in luxury.

There are now more than 400 saunas in the UK, according to the British Sauna Association, a sharp rise from just a few years ago.

Gabrielle Reason, a physiologist and the association's director, has her own surprising view on why. "When you're sweating [in a sauna] … you look an absolute mess but there's something actually very liberating about that, in a world that is very image-focused.

"You smell, you're bright red... You just stop caring what you look like."

Deadly sweat - and shame

It wasn't always this way. We've long had a complicated relationship with sweat - and for years, it was a source of fear.

In medieval England, word spread about a so-called "sweating sickness" that was said to kill its victims within six hours. Some think that Mozart died after contracting the "Picardy sweat", a mysterious illness that made victims drip with perspiration (though the composer's real cause of death remains unclear).

But this fear of sweat was turbocharged in English-speaking countries in the early 20th Century when hygiene brands realised they could use it to sell deodorants, according to Sarah Everts, a chemist and author of The Joy of Sweat.

She says the most "egregious" marketing was aimed at young women. One advert for a deodorant called Mum, published in an American magazine in 1938, urged women to "face the truth about underarm perspiration odour".

It said: "Men do talk about girls behind their backs. Unpopularity often begins with the first hint of underarm odour. This is one fault men can't stand - one fault they can't forgive."

This shame is embedded into Western culture, says Ms Everts, who has long suffered embarrassment about her own clammy skin.

"In a hot yoga class, I'd notice that the first drip of sweat would always come from me," she says. "And I started to think, 'this is a space where I'm supposed to be sweating, and yet I'm mortified'."

But in recent years, that shame has started to fritter away - at least in some quarters.

Rise of the 'sweaty hot girl' aesthetic

The new mood is driven in part by the beauty industry and its new mantra: embrace your perspiration.

Back in 2020, the business magazine Forbes described public sweatiness as the "hottest and coolest fashion trend", whilst Vogue Magazine has run photo features on the charm of a sweaty face, known as "post-gym skin".

Dove, the brand owned by Unilever, launched a marketing campaign in 2023 urging customers to post photographs of their sweaty armpits under the hashtag "Free the Pits".

Remi Bader, a TikTok beauty influencer with more than two million followers, who partnered with them, said in a promotional interview: "I'm very, very open with my followers about how I'm very sweaty. It's so normal."

And what started as niche or a marketing ploy may well have filtered down to the rest of us.

Zoe Nicols, a mobile beauty therapist and former salon owner in Dorset, says she's had customers asking for a "sweaty makeup" look. She calls it a new "Sweaty Hot Girl aesthetic … you want to look like you've just done a hot yoga class or stepped out of the sauna."

But Ms Everts is more sceptical. Whilst it's "wonderful" that people are speaking more positively about their bodies, in her view the trend has been hijacked by the personal hygiene industry for commercial gain.

"It's the next generation of these marketing strategies," she says. "Instead of being like, 'You smell - and that sucks', they say, 'you smell - but we all smell, here's a product that is the solution to that problem'.

"It's a little egregious to be capitalising on the body positivity cultural trend."

'Sweating is an enormous superpower'

There has been much discussion about possible health benefits of sweating - spas offer services promising to "sweat out toxins," using steam, heat, and infrared light. The trend has taken off on social media too, though some of the claims are more reliable than others.

Scientists are sceptical of the idea that you can remove a meaningful amount of "toxins" from your blood via sweating, however.

"I haven't seen any strong empirical evidence," says Davide Filingeri, a physiology professor at the University of Southampton.

Ms Everts is more blunt: "It's completely bananas."

But perspiration is of course beneficial in a very basic way: it cools us down.

Dr Adil Sheraz, a dermatologist at the Royal Free NHS Trust, says the most common form of sweat - eccrine sweat - does a good job of regulating body temperature.

It comes from tiny glands - each person has between two and five million of them - then evaporates from our skin, lowering our temperature.

Ms Everts has traced the benefits of sweating to prehistoric times, when it allowed early humans to work vigorously for long periods in the sun. "Evolutionary biologists point to sweat as one of the things that makes our species unique," says Ms Everts.

"It's an enormous superpower."

'I avoid shaking hands'

Hidden away from all of this is a group for whom sweating can feel like anything but a superpower. Those are people with a medical condition called hyperhidrosis - which causes excessive sweating, even when there's no obvious cause.

It is thought to affect somewhere between one and five percent of people, but has only recently pierced public consciousness.

Doctors say it's not dangerous but it can be distressing.

Melissa, who did not want to share her surname, first noticed the symptoms in childhood. "My hands and feet were constantly sweaty, even when it wasn't hot or nervous," she recalls.

"Other children could hold hands or play without thinking about it, but I'd always be aware of my slippery palms and damp socks."

Even now, she says it affects her confidence. "It makes everyday tasks tricky - holding a pen, using my phone... I sometimes avoid shaking hands or physical contact because I worry people will notice or react badly."

But she has been buoyed by the growing willingness to talk about the condition. And, she adds, "I've learned to adapt."

Ultimately, experts I spoke to predict that our interest in sweat is only likely to grow in the future, as temperatures rise.

Prof Filingeri, of Southampton University believes that climate change will show the limits of perspiration, as humans won't be able to produce sweat quickly enough to compensate for higher temperatures. (Although the spread of air conditioning may mitigate some of this effect.)

"As humans, we're very limited in that physiological capacity."

But Ms Everts believes that the discussions around sweat can only be a good thing in light of this. "Humans will certainly be sweating a lot more in the future," she says.

"I'd argue we need to ditch [any lasting] shame and develop a lot more serenity about sweating."

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Growing up, Reese Witherspoon's dad was a huge James Bond fan - which meant she also watched a lot of 007 films.

But she questioned why the girls all wore bikinis, with the young Reese asking herself what their revealing attire had to do with solving a crime.

The Oscar-winning actress - and now novelist - says that's why she wanted her new thriller to centre on a woman who has a unique skill, rather than being about her sex appeal.

Witherspoon, 49, is best known for roles in Legally Blonde and The Morning Show, but has now written her first adult fiction book.

Gone Before Goodbye, co-written with bestselling author Harlan Coben, tells the story of a talented surgeon called Maggie, who is trapped in a deadly conspiracy.

Speaking exclusively to BBC News, she admits that part of her was worrying, "Oh God, why did I do this?" - but says she also felt excited to see her idea come to life.

Witherspoon, who already runs an influential book club that's picked out hits like Where the Crawdads Sing, adds that she mainly cares about how other writers will receive it. "I have so much reverence for authors," she says.

Witherspoon was born in New Orleans to a medical doctor father and a mother who worked as a nurse.

Her breakthrough role came with the 1999 teen drama Cruel Intentions, alongside her now-ex husband Ryan Phillippe.

Legally Blonde, released in 2001, made her a major star, and was followed by roles including country singer June Carter Cash in Walk The Line, which earned her an Academy Award in 2006.

Witherspoon says her parents' line of work helped inspire the characters in her new novel.

"I grew up in a medical military family and I grew up on a military base, so I was surrounded by other mums and dads who were medical military people," she says.

"There was this sense of service, and that what they were doing was an important service to humanity, but also to their country."

"We both have the viewpoint that doctors are heroic," adds Coben, who is married to a pediatrician. "They really are. I mean, it's a cool profession."

In the book, Maggie has lost her medical licence after a series of tragedies, but is thrown a lifeline by a former colleague.

The theme of career setbacks is familiar to Witherspoon, who starred a string of poorly received films in the years after her Oscar win and her 2008 divorce from Phillippe, with whom she shares two children.

In 2014, she opened up in an interview about how her marriage breakdown affected her career.

"You can't really be very creative when you feel like your brain is scrambled eggs," she told CBS's 60 Minutes. "I was just kind of floundering career-wise. I wasn't making things I was passionate about."

Asked whether her personal experience of a career setback inspired her book's plotline, Witherspoon says: "I think every great story has a character who is taken to their knees. We just happen to start the story with her on her knees."

It was "a great place to start" the book, she adds, "because it can really only go up from there".

Witherspoon's acting career has bounced back. And through her production company Hello Sunshine, she has made a point of celebrating strong female characters through films and TV series including The Morning Show and Big Little Lies, which she produced and starred in.

'Skills more important than sex and violence'

I ask Witherspoon how rare it is to see a female character like Maggie, who is not about her sex appeal but rather about her particular skill.

"Growing up, I always saw James Bond movies, my dad was obsessed with them, but I was like, why are [the girls] all in bikinis, and I don't understand what that's got to do with solving the crime," she replies.

"If I was going to do a thriller, I wanted the woman to be at the centre of it. I wanted her to have a unique skillset everybody in the world wanted, but she didn't even realise it, and that she doesn't have to shoot guns or punch bad guys. She's actually just very smart and very intuitive and an incredible surgeon."

But the film industry still has further to go in creating such roles for women, Witherspoon suggests.

When I ask whether Hollywood still suffers from a lack of strong female leads, the A-lister says: "I always see the gap, I see the white space.

"I started Hello Sunshine in 2011 because I just wasn't seeing complex storytelling for women in the movie space.

"So, in a way, I was just taking the relationships I've had from 30 years of being an actor and just helping shine a light on women who were ready for those opportunities."

Entertainment journalist Lauren Morris believes Witherspoon has been "quite clever" in the way she's built her business empire.

"She has her book club, where she publicises books, often centring female stories. Then she has her production company, where she adapts it for TV or film, and she often stars in it herself too," she says.

"It's a good business model and it's working well for her."

'I'm really enjoying this moment'

Celebrity novels have been all the rage in recent years, with stars such as Keanu Reeves and Millie Bobby Brown among those releasing books.

Often, collaborations involve a ghostwriter or co-author who does the majority of the writing, with minimal input from the celebrity. Reeves admitted as much to BBC News last year, when he said his novel had been mostly written by British science fiction author China Miéville.

But both Witherspoon and Coben insist that wasn't the case for them. Witherspoon originally brought the idea to Coben, and the pair say they were both involved in the writing, to the point that - according to Witherspoon - "we couldn't figure out who wrote what".

A number of Coben's books have recently been adapted for the small screen, with mystery thriller Fool Me Once becoming one of Netflix's most-watched dramas last year.

So will Gone Before Goodbye get the same treatment? For Coben, the answer is yes.

"I think one day it'll be adapted. I think I have somebody in mind who I think would like to play Maggie, but I'm not going to say anything," he says.

Is he thinking about Witherspoon by any chance? He laughs. "Yeah."

I ask Witherspoon whether she sees herself in Maggie.

"Every character I play is some part of my personality," she responds. "My personality is a big pie. Each character is a piece of the pie."

So, having conquered film, TV, book clubs and now novels, what's next?

"Wow, when you put it like that, I want to lie down," Witherspoon laughs.

"I'm just really enjoying this moment. This is a big new frontier for me. And it just made me feel like, gosh, creativity doesn't stop at any one age. It just goes on and on."

Gone Before Goodbye is published on 23 October in the UK.

Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley, founding guitarist for the American rock band KISS, has died aged 74, his family announced in a statement reported in US media.

Frehley died surrounded by family, who said they were "completely devastated and heartbroken".

"In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth," the statement said.

The guitarist was known for his "Spaceman" persona, from the days when KISS was founded with the original line-up of Paul Stanley (vocals, rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals, bass guitar), Frehley (lead guitar, vocals) and Peter Criss (drums, vocals).

They applied face paint to create four enduring characters - Demon, Starchild, Spaceman and Catman.

"We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace's memory will continue to live on forever!" the family said.

Kiss first formed in 1973. The band produced hits such as Rock and Roll All Nite and God of Thunder.

In 1983, they appeared without face paint for the first time and enjoyed something of a resurgence. This was known as their "unmasking".

They later re-masked in the late 1990s.

Frehley and another founding member, Peter Criss, subsequently quit the group, which continued with different musicians.

The BBC has reached out to the band's representatives.

This is a breaking news story, more details will be added soon.

This week, thousands lined the streets of Manchester for the funeral of boxer Ricky Hatton, while Sebastien Lecornu found himself back in his old job, and Wicked star Cynthia Erivo wowed the cast of Strictly Come Dancing.

But how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world over the past seven days?

Quiz collated by Ben Fell.

Fancy testing your memory? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.

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People swapping cask ales for cappuccinos or ordering a burger and a beer via Deliveroo rather than at their local are a new threat to pubs, according to the boss of Greene King.

Nick Mackenzie, who runs the brewer and pub chain with 2,700 sites across the UK, agreed there were other businesses fighting for consumers' money as a growing share of the population was not drinking alcohol.

"They're taking away leisure time from the pub, yeah. You know, people are choosing to go into coffee shops," he said. "They are part of that competitor set, as are delivery [apps]."

There are now more than 14,000 cafes and coffee shops across the UK. Pubs still number more than 40,000 and the 57-year-old is adamant that the pub cannot be beaten as a fixture of the community.

Mr Mackenzie was quick to reiterate the special status that pubs hold in the UK, emphasising that "community" was as much a selling point as the beers, wines and spirits they sold.

But can pubs - inextricably linked to the sale of booze - entice the younger generation to its premises when the around one-third of under-25s and 20% of all Brits don't drink alcohol?

He made a point of highlighting the no-alcohol beer on draught after nipping into the New Explorer pub, just off Oxford Street, even while pointing out low-and-no alcohol pints still makes up only a small share of overall sales.

"It means that if you don't drink, you can come to the pub, you can meet friends, you can do the things that everybody does in the pub," he said.

"My experience - and certainly from my own family - I know young people are still out going to pubs and drinking, but we are also having to adapt to trends around well-being, trends towards low-and-no alcohol."

Mr Mackenzie said the "coffee offer now is credible" across Greene King's venues as the industry as a whole adapts to an environment where customers come in to have just a coffee or a meal.

"Pubs are creating environments that now are much more comfortable rather than feeling like [being] sat in a dingy pub. Not all pubs are like that, I know," he added.

And although the brewing boss wasn't yet committing to on-trend iced matcha or pumpkin-spiced lattes, he said Greene King pubs are selling more hot drinks "than ever before".

The industry's trend away from drinks-led "dingy pubs," toward food-led gastro pubs has been in effect for a while — ONS data suggests the share pub company staff work in kitchen-focussed roles surpassed those behind the bar in 2014 and has increased ever since.

More recent has been the number of bars and pubs built around "competitive socialising", where dates or groups split time between the bar and games like crazy golf, shuffleboard or axe-throwing. That sub-set of hospitality has more-than doubled from 280 bars and pubs pre-pandemic to around 600 now, according to data from estate agents Savills.

The Greene King boss said some of his pubs were expanding into competitive socialising using electronic dartboards and shuffleboards to attract and maintain customers who are after an "elevated experience".

If the company was to lean into amusements at more pubs, Mr Mackenzie's CV may be an asset.

Before Greene King he ran Merlin Entertainment, owner of Thorpe Park, Madame Tussauds and Legoland, which had a certain appeal to his two children.

"My kids benefited from that when they were younger — they had theme parks to go to. And when they hit 18, I got back into pubs, so they were quite happy about that too," he said.

No surprises, please

The Greene King boss was speaking to the BBC's Big Boss Interview ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget, and Mr Mackenzie was hoping for "no surprises" from it as the government looks to raise taxes to plug a multi-billion-pound shortfall.

Hospitality and retail companies in particular bore the brunt of the Chancellor's decision last year to increase the amount employers pay for National Insurance, per employee.

What he wanted from Reeves was "less surprises, give us some breathing space, but actually do the things that you said you were going to do in your manifesto about solving the business rates issue".

Top of Mr Mackenzie's Budget wish list after "an avalanche of costs" on the sector was for the government to follow through on its manifesto pledge to reform the business rates system — a tax on commercial premises that can add millions of pounds in costs to companies on UK high streets.

"This industry pays more tax than others. OK? And the business rate specifically is disproportionate. And governments have said they're going to change it ... now they need to do it," he said.

A Government spokesperson said pubs, restaurants and cafes "are vital to local communities.

"That's why we're cutting the cost of licensing, lowering their business rates and helping more hospitality businesses offer pavement drinks and al fresco dining."

Details on changes to business rates reform are expected before the end of the year.

Last week, China's Ministry of Commerce published a document that simply went by the name of "announcement No. 62 of 2025".

But this wasn't just any bureaucratic missive. It has rocked the fragile tariffs truce with the US.

The announcement detailed sweeping new curbs on its rare earth exports, in a move that tightens Beijing's grip on the global supply of the critical minerals - and reminded Donald Trump just how much leverage China holds in the trade war.

China has a near-monopoly in the processing of rare earths - crucial for the production of everything from smartphones to fighter jets.

Under the new rules, foreign companies now need the Chinese government's approval to export products that contain even a tiny amount of rare earths and must declare their intended use.

In response, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods and put export controls on key software.

"This is China versus the world. They have pointed a bazooka at the supply chains and the industrial base of the entire free world, and we're not going to have it," said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

On Thursday a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson countered, saying that shortly after the China-US economic and trade talks in Madrid in September, "and despite repeated dissuasion from the Chinese side, the US side introduced 20 measures to suppress China within just over 20 days".

This week, the world's two biggest economies also imposed new port fees on each other's ships.

The flare-up in the trade war brings to an end months of relative calm after top US and Chinese officials brokered a truce in May.

Later this month, Trump and China's President Xi Jinping are expected to meet and experts have told the BBC the rare earths restrictions will give China the upper hand.

China's new controls are bound to "shock the system" as they target vulnerabilities in American supply chains, said international business lecturer Naoise McDonagh from Australia's Edith Cowan University.

"The timing has really upset the kind of timeline for negotiations that the Americans wanted," he added.

Rare earth minerals are essential for the production of a whole range of technology such as solar panels, electric cars and military equipment.

For example, a single F-35 fighter jet is estimated to need more than 400kg (881.8lb) of rare earths for its stealth coatings, motors, radars and other components.

China's rare earth exports also account for around 70% of the world's supply of metals used for magnets in electric vehicle motors, said Natasha Jha Bhaskar from advisory firm the Newland Global Group.

Beijing has worked hard to gain its dominance of the global rare earth processing capacity, said critical minerals researcher Marina Zhang from the University of Technology Sydney.

The country has nurtured a vast talent pool in the field, while its research and development network is years ahead of its competitors, she added.

While the US and other countries are investing heavily to develop alternatives to China for supplies of rare earths, they are still some way from achieving that goal.

With its own large deposits of rare earths, Australia has been tipped as a potential challenger to China. But its production infrastructure is still underdeveloped, making processing relatively expensive, Ms Zhang said.

"Even if the US and all its allies make processing rare earths a national project, I would say that it will take at least five years to catch up with China."

The new restrictions expand measures Beijing announced in April that caused a global supply crunch, before a series of deals with Europe and the US eased the shortages.

The latest official figures from China show that exports of the critical minerals were down in September by more than 30% compared to a year ago.

But analysts say China's economy is unlikely to be hurt by the drop in exports.

Rare earths make up a very small part of China's $18.7tn a year economy, said Prof Sophia Kalantzakos from New York University.

Some estimates put the value of the exports at less than 0.1% of China's annual gross domestic product (GDP).

While rare earths' economic value to China may be tiny their strategic value "is huge", she said, as they give Beijing more leverage in talks with the US.

Despite accusing China of "betrayal", Bessent has left the door open to negotiations.

"I believe China is open to discussion and I am optimistic this can be de-escalated," he said.

What China has done recently is "getting its ducks in a row" ahead of those trade talks with the US, said Prof Kalantzakos.

In curbing rare earth exports, Beijing has found its "best immediate lever" to pressure Washington for a favourable deal, Ms Bhaskar said.

Jiao Yang from Singapore Management University believes that although Beijing holds the cards in the short-run, Washington does have some strategic options at its disposal.

The US could offer to lower tariffs, which is likely to be attractive to Beijing as the trade war has hit its manufacturers hard, said Prof Jiao said.

China's economy is reliant on the income from the goods it makes and exports. The latest official figures show its exports to the US were down by 27% compared to a year ago.

Washington can also threaten to hit China with more trade restrictions to hamper efforts to develop its technology sector, said Prof McDonagh.

For example, the White House has already targeted China's need for high-end semiconductors by blocking its purchases of Nvidia's most advanced chips.

But experts say that is likely to have only limited effects.

Measures targeting Beijing's tech industry may slow China but won't "stop it dead in the water," said Prof McDonagh.

China has shown with its recent economic strategy that it is willing to take some pain to achieve its long-term goals, he added.

"China can carry on even if it costs a lot more under US export controls.

"But if China cuts off these rare earth supplies, that can actually stop everyone's industry. That's the big difference."

US President Donald Trump says "great progress" was made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.

He said the call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was "very productive", adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.

Trump did not confirm a date for his meeting with Putin in Budapest. The Kremlin said work on the summit would begin "immediately" after the "extremely frank and trustful" call.

The talks came a day before Ukraine's President Zelensky was to visit the White House, and with Trump weighing whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.

As he arrived in the US, Zelensky said Moscow was "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks".

Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over".

He said "high level advisors" from both countries would meet at an unspecified location next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.

Trump also said he would update Zelensky on his talks with Putin on Friday, adding: "I believe great progress was made with today's telephone conversation."

He later told reporters he expected to meet Putin "within two weeks".

Asked about the prospect of giving the missiles to Ukraine after his call with Putin, Trump said "we can't deplete" the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding "we need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that".

Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, said Russia launching overnight strikes on Ukraine "hours before" Putin's call with Trump "exposes Moscow's real attitude toward peace".

In a statement to the BBC's US partner CBS, she added: "These assaults show that Moscow's strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure - through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense, and the supply of long-range capabilities."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X the planned Budapest meeting was "great news for the peace-loving people of the world".

Earlier, he also said: "Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent."

Trump has taken a much tougher line towards Putin over the Ukraine war since a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August failed to produce a decisive breakthrough in attempts to broker a peace deal.

The pair met on US soil on 15 August for a summit which the US president hoped would help convince the Russian president to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the Ukraine war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.

Since then, neither the White House or Kremlin have public confirmed any communications between the two.

During his presidential election campaign, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within days but has since admitted resolving the conflict has been more challenging than any he has been involved in since returning to power.

Trump had been seen as more sympathetic to Russia than his predecessor Joe Biden, and strained relations with Zelensky came to a head on 28 February when he and Vice-President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office on live television.

But public relations with Zelensky have vastly improved in recent months.

In September, Trump signalled a major shift in his view of the conflict, saying he believed Kyiv could "win all of Ukraine back in its original form", a far cry from his public calls for Kyiv to cede territory occupied by Russia.

During Zelensky's upcoming visit to Washington on Friday, his third since January, the subject of Tomahawk missiles is likely to be high on the agenda.

Zelensky has called on the US to provide Ukraine with the advanced missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles).

Asked earlier this week if he was considering giving Ukraine the missiles, he said: "We'll see... I may."

In late July, Trump set Putin a deadline of less than a fortnight to agree to a ceasefire or face sweeping sanctions, including measures against countries which still trade with Russia.

But he did not follow through the threat after Putin agreed to meet Trump in Alaska, which the US president hailed as a significant diplomatic success at the time, despite it not producing any tangible outcome.

Earlier on Thursday, India's foreign ministry cast doubt on a claim made by Trump a day earlier saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.

An Indian government spokesman said he was "not aware of any conversation between the two leaders" taking place the previous day, after Trump said Modi had assured him purchases would stop "within a short period of time".

The US has pushed for countries - in particular India, China and Nato members - to stop buying Russian energy in an effort to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin. Zelensky has also repeatedly echoed those calls.

Blocking Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending an Aston Villa match is the "wrong decision", the prime minister has said.

Followers of the Israeli team will not be allowed to attend the Europa League match on 6 November because of safety concerns, the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches said on Thursday.

Sir Keir Starmer criticised the move, saying "we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets" and that the role of police was "to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation".

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded the decision a "national disgrace" and suggested Sir Keir should act to reverse it.

She wrote on X that Starmer should "guarantee that Jewish fans can walk into any football stadium in this country".

"If not, it sends a horrendous and shameful message: there are parts of Britain where Jews simply cannot go."

West Midlands Police said the game had been classified as high risk based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including "violent clashes and hate crime offences" between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a match in Amsterdam in November 2024.

The force said it had concerns about its ability to deal with potential protests at the match at Villa Park.

The Safety Advisory Group, which issues safety certificates for matches, told Aston Villa that no travelling fans would be permitted at the match in Birmingham.

Ayoub Khan, the Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, welcomed the decision.

He said: "From the moment that the match was announced, it was clear that there were latent safety risks that even our capable security and police authorities would not be able to fully manage.

"With so much hostility and uncertainty around the match, it was only right to take drastic measures."