Estate agents have accused Rightmove of charging "unsustainable" fees, with some saying their charges have more than doubled in recent years.

The online listing portal is now being pursued in a class action, launched by accountant Jeremy Newman on behalf of potentially hundreds of estate agents.

The BBC understands a letter of claim has been sent to Rightmove seeking just under £1.5bn in damages, claiming the website has "abused a dominant position" in the online property portal market.

Rightmove said the claim was "without merit, and we will defend it vigorously", adding it is "confident in the value we provide to our partners and consumers."

The claim alleges that Rightmove has charged thousands of estate agents and new home developers excessive and unfair subscription fees, and action has been filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Newman claims hundreds of estate agents are reporting a rise in fees with little change in the services they are receiving while they have been "squeezed" over the past few years by flat property prices.

"Estate agents are having to employ fewer people because they can't afford them alongside their fees to Rightmove," said Newman, who is also a former Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) panel member. "As a result, their services can't be as effective."

'Charging too much'

Rightmove has consistently reported a profit margin of around 70%, making it one of the most profitable companies in the FTSE 100.

The company's own consumer research suggests it has an 80% share of time spent on property portals.

Newman said the class action was not about arguing Rightmove should not exist, as it has "an important function in the property market".

But he added: "Rightmove is exploiting a self-evident dominant market position, and are charging too much for it."

The BBC has reviewed evidence from five estate agents suggesting there have been sharp rises in fees.

Many other agents report that Rightmove is significantly more expensive than other platforms, yet acknowledge it delivers most of their leads.

Many say they are struggling to absorb the costs but feel they have little choice.

On its website, Rightmove claims it gives agents "access and brand exposure to the UK's largest and most engaged home-moving audience."

A Rightmove spokesperson said the firm was "confident in the value we provide to our partners and consumers, who are at the core of our business solutions and digital platform."

"As one of the most efficient parts of the UK housing market, we help people across the UK to move home by bringing buyers, sellers, renters, landlords and agents together.

"Our platform continues to provide a growing range of constantly evolving products and features which facilitate market transparency, liquidity and confidence."

'It's like David and Goliath'

Alisa Zotimova is founder of AZ Real Estate, a London-based Bespoke Property Consultants and Estate Agents.

Zotimova said her fees have "more than doubled" in seven years.

She started with a reduced promotional rate which later increased significantly.

Whilst this was "no secret", she described this rise as "unsustainable".

"You don't have to sign up but it feels like I'm pushed into a bit of a corner with my customers expecting me to use it," she said.

If smaller agents cannot afford these sorts of fees, Zotimova said that would have knock-on effects for the housing market.

"For buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords there will be higher fees, less choice of agents if smaller ones can't compete," she said.

When Zotimova heard about the legal action she decided she didn't want to opt out.

"It feels a bit David and Goliath, now it seems there is maybe a chance," she said.

'I'm charged over £5,000 a month'

Chris, who owns two estate agents in Northamptonshire, is being charged more than £5000 a month for a basic membership, allowing him to advertise about 30-50 properties online.

He says his fees are the equivalent of two full time members of staff salaries per month.

"It's a lot of money to find every single month," he said, adding that the costs ultimately get passed on to clients.

"When you're trying to run and operate a small business and a particular company has complete control of that business, is a challenge," Chris said.

He accepts Rightmove is the "number one portal" but said costs shouldn't be determined by the company.

"We just have to continue to cut back and make savings in other areas to facilitate the juggernaut that is Rightmove," he said.

'Value for money'

Andy Keogh, an estate agent in the Midlands, believes the platform gives "value for money". He said 80% of his leads come from Rightmove which has a "monopoly on the market".

From June, his fees will go up from £1710 to £1850 a month, for up to 40 properties in sales and lettings.

"If you don't like it, don't use them. Agents who are moaning would struggle with their business if they decided to come off it," Keogh said.

He acknowledged that for lettings, Zoopla is much cheaper, which charges £450-500 a month.

Around 2.7 million people are set to receive a pay rise this week as the national minimum wage goes up by 50p to £12.71 for over 21s.

Workers aged 18-20 will see an 85p rise to £10.85, and under-18s and apprentices will get 45p more to £8 an hour.

Campaigners have welcomed the increases, but businesses have said the higher wage bills will force them to increase prices or cut staff.

The Low Pay Commission, the government agency which recommended the increases, said previous minimum wage rises for over-21s had "not had a significant negative impact on jobs".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said wages were going up "for the lowest paid" but said the government "must go further to bear down on costs".

Spencer Bowman is the managing director of of Mettricks, a chain of four coffee shops in Southampton. He says he would normally be "thrilled" to pay staff more, but "the cost increases have got to be sustainable".

"There's nothing that I'd want more than to ensure that my team can earn a really fair amount of money for a fair day's work. And it's been one of my long-term ambitions to see hospitality workers, my employees, paid far more."

But Spencer says his business is being squeezed from every angle – as well as minimum wage, he has had increases in business rates, national insurance, and statutory sick pay. He also expects energy bills to go up because of the war in the Middle East.

"We're running on a minimum number of staff on shift. We can't run on fewer people," he says.

"If something doesn't give somewhere, we will be closing sites.

"It doesn't make any sense. Revenue is up. Our customer numbers are up. But our costs everywhere have hit a point where we're not financially sustainable and if that continues, there's only one outcome for that."

The minimum wage increases are on top of a 6.7% rise for over-21s and a 16.3% rise for 18 to 20-year-olds respectively last year, when there was also a rise in employers' National Insurance contributions.

Ministers are considering slowing down plans to pay adults of all ages the same minimum wage.

Labour committed in their election manifesto to remove "discretionary age bands" and increase the wages of 18 to 20-year-olds so they are paid the same as those over 21.

Ifunanya Ezechukwu, 25, calls the minimum wage rise a "step in the right direction".

"Especially with the cost of living being really bad, people need more money so they can actually afford the basics," she tells BBC Newsbeat.

She doesn't think employers paying staff more will necessarily translate to fewer job opportunities.

"I feel like they're probably just going to up the prices of their services, so I don't think there'll be less job opportunities," she says.

"I just feel like some things might get more expensive, which is unfortunate, and then the cycle just continues."

Alex McCarthy, a university student who works part-time in a pub, says he is feeling "very, very happy" about the rise.

But the 18-year-old says it probably won't be enough for some of his friends, who are working while living at university but are still struggling to do weekly shops and are having to borrow money off their parents.

Amelia Evans, 18, believes the rise is necessary because "everything is going up in price". But she is concerned it will limit her job opportunities.

"So far this year I think I've done maybe 20 applications, and haven't got any. I feel like it's going to impact me even more now."

When Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the increases in the Budget last year, she said the cost of living was still the biggest issue for working people.

"The economy isn't working well enough for those on the lowest incomes," she added.

At the time, the Treasury said the new minimum wage rates for 2026 struck a balance between "the needs of workers, the affordability for businesses and the opportunities for employment".

The Living Wage Foundation has welcomed the rises but says they do not go far enough.

The Foundation calculates what is known as the Real Living Wage, which it says is a more accurate reflection of the cost of living in the UK. It currently stands at £13.45 across the UK and £14.80 in London.

Kate Chapman, the executive director of the Living Wage Foundation, said one in seven businesses now pay the Real Living Wage.

"That's because they know the Living Wage is good for people, good for society and good for business," she said.

The British Chamber of Commerce has said that tax and labour costs are the biggest concerns for British businesses.

In its quarterly survey of 4,000 firms, 73% said labour costs are putting pressure on them to raise prices.

Additional reporting by Georgia Levy-Collins, Lizzy Bella, and Jemma Crew

Several household bills have gone up in April - although energy costs have fallen for now.

At the same time, minimum wage has gone up and and there are upcoming increases in benefits for many lower-income billpayers.

Prescription charges in England have also been frozen, and councils will be able to give cash payouts people struggling with the rising cost of living from a Crisis and Resilience Fund.

Here's a guide to the bill changes and how they affect you.

1. Household energy bills

Typical household energy bills have fallen by 7% between April and July, following a shake-up in charges by the government.

Nearly everyone in England, Wales and Scotland is benefiting from the cut irrespective of their tariff, although the amounts will vary between households.

For a household on a tariff governed by regulator Ofgem's price cap, and using a typical amount of gas and electricity, the annual bill will drop to £1,641.

The bill drop will only be temporary. The impact of the Iran war means that prices will increase sharply in July.

The latest forecast by analysts at energy consultancy Cornwall Insight suggests the household with typical energy use will pay £1,929 a year from July, an 18% rise.

2. Council tax

Council tax is a compulsory charge on properties in England, Scotland and Wales.

It is rising by an average of 4.9% for households in England. That means the average council tax for a Band D property in England will increase to £2,392 a year, up £111 on last year.

Many councils are allowed to increase bills by up to 5%, but seven have been given government permission to implement bigger hikes to help address a "challenging financial position".

There are some exemptions and discounts, for example for someone living alone and homes occupied only by students, which helps lower the cost for some.

A host of local authorities in Scotland have increased council tax sharply.

Wales now sees a 4.9% average increase in council tax.

Northern Ireland uses a domestic rates system instead of council tax. All of Northern Ireland's councils have reported increases in their district rates.

3. Water bills

The average annual water bill in England and Wales has increased by £33 to £639, according to industry trade body, Water UK.

The amounts vary sharply in different areas, and come after hefty rises in large parts of the country a year ago.

Water bills in Scotland have risen by an average of £42 a year (up 8.7%), taking the average bill to £532 a year.

Consumer groups say people can cut bills by checking if they are eligible for discounted tariffs, trialling a water meter, and by saving water, for example, by setting a time limit on showers.

4. Internet and TV

BT, EE, Plusnet and Virgin Media are all hiking broadband prices by £4 a month, Sky by £3, and Vodafone by £3.50 - adding nearly £50 per year to bills.

Additionally, one in four broadband customers are out of contract, paying up to £9 per month more than those in contract.

Mobile phone providers also tend to have mid-contact price rises written into contracts, so many billpayers face increases.

The cost of a TV licence has increased from £174.50 to £180 a year.

5. Car tax

Standard Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), for cars registered after April 2017, has increased from £195 to £200.

The exact amount for your vehicle excise duty will depend on the year your car was registered.

It applies to all fuel types, including electric vehicles which lost their tax-free status last year.

In addition, an annual supplement of £440 should be paid on cars with a list price of more than £40,000, or £50,000 for EVs.

6. Air passenger duty

Air Passenger Duty is a tax on flights which depart from the UK, paid by aircraft operators. The cost is usually passed onto passengers with their ticket price.

The duty is increasing across most fare bands, with different amounts charged dependant on the distance of the flight.

7. Hidden tax rises

The government has kept in place the freeze on tax thresholds on income tax.

This means more people start paying tax - or move into higher tax brackets - as wages rise.

The Conservatives initially froze thresholds until 2028-29 and then in November Labour extended that until 2031.

The move raises additional revenue to pay for public services but is often called a stealth tax by economists because it increases the tax take without a government having to put up rates.

The BBC has created a calculator to see how your pay could be affected.

The calculator applies to employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Tax bands in Scotland are different, and self-employed workers are taxed differently.

Any support the government offers to help people with high energy bills pushed up by the Iran war would be based on household income, the chancellor has told the BBC.

Wholesale oil and gas prices have soared over the past month, with supply from the Middle East severely disrupted. While household energy bills are set to fall in April under Ofgem's price cap, there is likely to be a big jump over the summer.

Rachel Reeves said it was "too early" to say exactly who would get help but hinted any support would not arrive until the autumn.

However, she refused to promise any immediate support for drivers, emphasising the need to keep the public finances under control.

Last week, Reeves confirmed that any help with gas and electricity bills would be targeted at "those who need it most", rather than the universal support that was rolled out by Liz Truss's government in 2022.

In a new interview with BBC Breakfast, she said: "I want to learn the lessons of the past because when Russia invaded Ukraine, the richest, the best-off third of households got more than a third of the support. That makes no sense at all."

Reeves acknowledged that gas usage would go up in the autumn – when Ofgem's current price cap for households in England, Scotland and Wales expires. The next price cap is yet to be announced but is expected to increase significantly.

"From July to September, gas usage, especially by families and pensioners, is the lowest of any months of the year because it is the summer months," she said.

When asked if support could go beyond people who receive benefits, Reeves said: "We're looking at ways in which we can support people based on their household income."

But the chancellor refused to commit to cutting fuel duty or VAT on petrol, saying she had to be "careful" with promises to lower prices for everyone because it risked pushing up inflation, interest rates and taxes in the future.

She added that the best way to bring prices down for people was for the conflict to come to an end and for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen. The Strait is a key waterway that usually carries a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas but has been effectively closed since the war began.

"That is why Keir Starmer is absolutely right to not get us dragged into a war that we didn't start because of the impact it has on people here at home," she said.

The Conservatives have called on the government to remove VAT from household energy bills for the next three years to help ease the cost of living.

Reform UK has also promised to scrap VAT and green levies on household energy bills if the party were to win power.

The Liberal Democrats have said they would cut household energy bills by changing how new renewable projects are paid for, in order to break the link between gas prices and energy costs.

The Green Party has said ministers should guarantee bills will not rise in July, when the price cap is updated, with the costs funded by hiking taxes on capital gains, and tightening an existing tax on energy firms' profits.

Plaid Cymru has also called for broader direct support for households when bills rise above the current price cap. It also supports long-term investment in renewables to break the link between electricity and gas prices.

The SNP argues that Holyrood should control energy policy and claims that independence is the best route to lowering Scotland's energy bills.

"People going up to the Moon is kind of cool," eight-year-old Isiah says.

He is among the 400,000 people expected to cram the causeways, beaches and motel balconies of Florida's Space Coast for the launch attempt of Artemis II tonight.

They will watch as four astronauts blast into space in the hope of flying around the Moon and potentially travelling further from Earth than anyone has ever been before.

Nasa's 10-day test flight will not land on the Moon. However, the crew may witness views of the lunar landscapes that have never been seen by human eyes.

Amanda Garcia has travelled more than 1,000 miles from New Mexico to witness the launch. "I'm pretty excited about it," she tells us.

"I came out here to see it, and I heard it's gonna be a great show. A lot of people are going to be here."

Beyond the Kennedy Space Centre launch site, along the lagoon and beaches of Titusville and Cocoa Beach, bars are advertising "moonshots" and hotels are warning guests to expect long delays getting to and from viewing spots.

Local officials talk of a "historic influx" of tourists and an economic impact of around $160m (£121m), putting traffic plans in place for a night when the highway lights will compete with the glow of floodlit launch towers as well as camper van barbecues.

A mile or so from the pads where Artemis II will light up the sky, Brenda Mulberry, owner of Space Shirts, has been selling Nasa T-shirts and souvenirs for 40 years.

In her small shop on Merritt Island, racks of orange, blue and black T-shirts depict hand drawn rockets, mission patches and moonscapes, ready for the crowds who arrive on regular launch days. But this launch is different, she tells us. "We've wanted to go back to the Moon since the '70s. People are excited. People are beyond excited," she said.

Brenda says she has stocked up for the biggest surge of customers she has ever seen.

"I want to have the first T-shirt shop on the Moon," she says. "Because if you've been there, you get the T-shirt, right?" she adds, laughing.

Future Artemis missions plan to land humans on the Moon for the first time since 1972. But this time, the goal is to build a permanent Moon base to exploit its natural resources and provide a springboard for an attempt to reach Mars.

Artemis II's mission commander, Reid Wiseman, said he hoped the effort to return to the Moon would inspire a new generation.

"In our lifetime, we've looked at the Moon knowing that people had been there. And now in the Artemis generation, kids will walk out and look at the Moon going, we are there. We are there now, and we are going further into our solar system."

Tonight, all attention will turn to Launch Pad 39B - the same historic stretch of concrete from which the US Apollo programme first landed men on the Moon in 1969. Standing on the pad is Nasa's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

At 98m (321ft) tall, the white and orange giant is the heaviest rocket the agency has ever launched. At its top sits Orion, a capsule about the size of a small van, where the four astronauts will spend the next 10 days in close proximity. It will be the first time the capsule has been put through its paces with a human crew on board.

If all goes to schedule, the rocket will launch between 18:24-20:24 local time (23:24-01:24 BST) on Wednesday.

The astronauts who will strap into Orion about four hours before launch have spent years training together.

Up front, on the left hand side will be Wiseman, the Artemis II commander, while pilot Victor Glover will sit beside him. Behind them will be Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian fighter pilot turned astronaut. This will be his first trip into space.

After reaching orbit, Orion spends its first day in high Earth orbit practising manual flying and testing life support before shaping its path towards the Moon.

On Day 2, a long trans-lunar injection burn puts the spacecraft onto a free return trajectory that would naturally loop it around the Moon and back to Earth, with small correction burns fine tuning the course.

Each day of the mission involves different tests and challenges for the crew.

Day 6 stands out because Orion is due to fly around the far side of the moon. All radio contact will be lost for about 40 minutes, meaning flight controllers won't know what is happening on board.

Orion will be travelling about 4,000–6,000 miles above the Moon's surface and may slightly exceed Apollo 13's record distance of about 250,000 miles (400,000km) from Earth, depending on the exact trajectory.

In the days that follow, Orion will be pulled naturally back towards Earth by the same free return trajectory that sent it out, with small course adjustment burns ensuring the capsule hits the atmosphere at just the right angle.

On the final day, the crew will strap in for the most brutal part of the trip: re-entry into Earth's atmosphere at about 25,000mph (40,000 km/h), when Orion's heat shield must again face temperatures hot enough to char rock.

After the first uncrewed test flight, Artemis I, engineers found that chunks of the heat shield's coating had cracked and broken away during a two‑stage "skip" re‑entry manoeuvre. This saw the capsule dip into the upper atmosphere, briefly climb again, then plunge back in so as to best cope with the heat, G-forces and splashdown accuracy needed.

For Artemis II they are keeping this two‑step re-entry, but changing the angle and timing so Orion spends less time in the initial, gentler dip. Modelling suggests this should reduce the heating and loads that caused extra charring, but this will be the first time the revised descent is flown with a crew.

If Artemis II is a success, the next time the Space Coast fills up like this it will be for another test flight – another step closer to people actually walking on the Moon again, half a century after the last footprints were made.

And somewhere between the marsh grass and the launch pads, there will almost certainly be someone wearing one of Brenda Mulberry's shirts, already dreaming of the day when her logo appears not just on Florida cotton, but in a photograph taken on the Moon.

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion had to be taken to hospital mid-way through her performance of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, in New York on Tuesday night, her representative has confirmed.

"Megan started feeling very ill and was promptly transported to a local hospital, where her symptoms are currently being evaluated," the spokesperson told US media outlets.

"We will share additional updates as more information becomes available."

The musician, 31, is performing as Zidler – the show's eccentric master of ceremonies – marking her highly anticipated Broadway debut.

Her hair stylist, Kellon Deryck, wrote on X: "Everyone say a prayer for Megan, we are all at the hospital."

Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, is scheduled to play Zidler until 17 May, the Moulin Rouge website says. Ahead of her premiere, she expressed excitement for briefly substituting concerts with theatre performances.

'HOTTIES IM ON BROADWAY!!" she wrote on social media after her first performance on 24 March, referencing her fanbase, called the "hotties".

Megan Thee Stallion is best-known for hits including Savage, WAP and Body.

In 2021, she won three Grammy awards for Best Rap Song, Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance. The following year she was nominated for Album of the Year.

Harold Zidler was first played by Danny Burstein in the original Broadway cast of Moulin Rouge, and won a coveted Tony award in 2020 for it. More recently, celebrity drag artist Bob the Drag Queen played Zidler in the musical for eight weeks earlier this year.

The BBC has contacted Megan Thee Stallion's team for comment.

Nasa's target of a March launch for the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years has been delayed after a fault was detected.

Nasa had set a target of 6 March, but 24 hours later said the newly discovered fault made a March launch "out of consideration".

The Artemis II mission, which will last about 10 days, could take its astronauts further into space than anyone has been before.

It aims to set the stage for an eventual human landing on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s.

When will Artemis II launch?

With a March launch no longer being considered, the next possible dates are April 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

A potential February launch was ruled out after a pre‑flight test - known as a wet dress rehearsal - was cut short when hydrogen rocket fuel leaked from an umbilical connection linking the launch tower to the rocket.

Beyond resolving the technical issues, mission planners also have to wait until the Moon is in the right part of its orbit, so launch windows are timed accordingly.

In practice, this creates a pattern of roughly one week at the start of each month when the rocket can be pointed in the right direction, followed by about three weeks with no launch opportunities.

Who are the Artemis II crew?

Artemis II's crew of four is made up of Nasa commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch. A second mission specialist, Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, will also be on board.

Wiseman is a US Navy veteran of 27 years. A pilot and engineer, he lives in Baltimore, Maryland. He was selected as an astronaut by Nasa in 2009 and served as Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 41 in 2014.

Glover was selected as a Nasa astronaut in 2013. He previously served as the pilot of SpaceX Crew-1 and holds three master's degrees. He was born in California and is married with four children.

Koch grew up in Michigan and became an astronaut in 2013. She worked on the International Space Station in 2019, setting a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. She also participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

Hansen joined the Canadian Space Agency in 2009 after a career as a fighter pilot. He became the first Canadian to lead astronaut training at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre and will be the first Canadian to go to the Moon.

What will the Artemis crew do during the Moon mission?

The mission involves the first crewed flight of Nasa's gigantic Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion space capsule.

Once they are safely in orbit, the astronauts will test how the Orion handles. This will involve manually flying the capsule in Earth orbit to practise steering and lining up the spacecraft for future Moon landings.

They will then head out to a point thousands of kilometres beyond the Moon to check Orion's life‑support, propulsion, power and navigation systems.

The crew will also act as medical test subjects, sending back data and imagery from deep space.

They will work in a small cabin in weightlessness. Radiation levels will be higher than on the ISS, which is in low‑Earth orbit, but still safe.

On return to Earth, the astronauts will experience a bumpy return through the atmosphere and a splashdown off the west coast of the US, in the Pacific.

Will Artemis II land on the Moon?

No. This mission is to lay the ground for a lunar landing by astronauts in the Artemis III mission.

Nasa says the launch of Artemis III will take place by 2028. But experts believe that is a very ambitious timeline.

The final choice of a spacecraft to take the crew down to the lunar surface has not yet been made. It will either be SpaceX's Starship lander or a craft designed by Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin.

New spacesuits made by US company Axiom are also not ready.

When Artemis III finally flies, the astronauts will be heading to the Moon's south pole.

After this, the aim is to have a sustained human presence on the Moon.

Artemis IV and V will begin building Gateway, a small space station circling the Moon. That will be followed by more Moon landings, extra sections being added to Gateway, and new robotic rovers operating on the surface.

More countries will be involved in keeping people living and working on and around the Moon for longer periods.

When was the last Moon mission?

The last crewed Moon mission was Apollo 17, which landed in December 1972 and returned to Earth later that month.

In all, 24 astronauts have travelled to the Moon and 12 of them have walked on its surface, all during the Apollo programme. Of the 24 to have been to the Moon, just five are still alive.

America first went in the 1960s, primarily to beat the Soviet Union to assert its geopolitical and technological dominance. Once that goal was achieved, political enthusiasm and public interest ebbed, as did the money for future Moonshots.

The Artemis programme grew out of a desire to return humans to the Moon, but this time for a longer-term presence built around new technology and commercial partnerships.

Do other countries plan to send astronauts to the Moon?

Several other countries have ambitions to put people on the Moon in the 2030s.​

European astronauts are set to join later Artemis missions and Japan has also secured seats.

China is building its own craft, targeting a first landing near the Moon's south pole by 2030.

Russia continues to talk about flying cosmonauts to the surface and building a small base sometime between about 2030 and 2035. However, sanctions, funding pressures and technical setbacks mean its timetable is highly optimistic.

India has also expressed ambitions to one day see its own astronauts walking on the Moon.

Following the success of Chandrayaan 3's landing near the lunar south pole in August 2023, India's space agency set out a goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by about 2040. This would be part of a push to move its human spaceflight programme beyond low Earth orbit.

Additional reporting by Kevin Church and Emily Selvadurai.

Four astronauts are about to become the most closely watched crew since Apollo.

They will be the first to orbit the moon for more than 50 years, testing the path back for the next generation.

The crew includes three Nasa astronauts - Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch - along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.

Not only are they accomplished pilots, engineers and scientists, they are also spouses and parents balancing a heroic adventure against the risks they and their loved ones will face.

Here's what we know about them.

Reid Wiseman - Commander

Reid Wiseman is a US Navy test pilot turned astronaut, who spent six months on the International Space Station in 2014 as a flight engineer on Expedition 40. Wiseman says he has a lifelong love of flying, but on the ground he's afraid of heights.

He will command Artemis II in what is the second flight of the Orion spacecraft, and the first to carry people around the Moon in more than 50 years.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Wiseman lost his wife to cancer in 2020 and has raised their two teenage daughters alone. He describes being a single parent as his "greatest challenge and the most rewarding phase" of his life.

He has not shielded his children from the realities of risk, however. While out on a walk with them, he said: "Here's where the will is, here's where the trust documents are, and if anything happens to me, here's what's going to happen to you… That's part of this life."

He says he wishes more families had that conversation – because "you never know what the next day is going to bring".

Although he carries the title of commander, he is careful not to make Artemis II sound like his mission alone.

"When I look at Victor, Christina and Jeremy, they want to go do this mission, they are keenly driven, they are humble to a fault. It is so cool to be around them," he says, hoping that in decades to come their flight will be seen as a "tiny step" towards people living on the Moon and, eventually, walking on Mars.

For the personal item Nasa allows astronauts to take up with them, Wiseman plans to take a small notepad so that he can jot down his thoughts during the mission.

Christina Koch - Mission specialist

Christina Koch is an engineer and physicist who became an astronaut in 2013 and went on to set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 days aboard the International Space Station in 2019. During that mission she also took part in the first all-female spacewalk.

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and raised in North Carolina, she will become the first woman to travel to the Moon.

Her journey to Artemis II began with a photograph. As a child she kept a poster of the Earth rising above the lunar surface – Bill Anders' famous Earthrise picture from Apollo 8 – on her bedroom wall, and decided she wanted to become an astronaut when she learnt that a human, not an automatic camera, had squeezed the shutter.

"The fact that it was a human behind that lens made that picture so much more profound and changed the way we thought of our own home," she says. "The Moon was not just a symbol for thinking about our place in the Universe, it is a beacon for science and understanding where we came from."

Koch has spent more than 25 years around Apollo veterans through a scholarship foundation and Nasa remembrance events, and says that what the former astronauts have really taught her is camaraderie.

Koch is taking handwritten notes from people close to her for her personal item, which she has described as a "tactile connection" to loved ones back on Earth.

At home, spaceflight is a running conversation with her husband. She says he's inquisitive about "what the big milestones are, what the risky parts are, when he can sigh a sigh of relief, when he needs to be glued to the TV".

One of the more prosaic preparations has been to persuade him that Artemis is not like her ISS mission - there will be no casual phone calls from orbit, no quick check-ins to locate a missing item in a cupboard. "He's not going to be able to ring me and ask where something is in the house," she laughs. "He's going to have to find it."

Jeremy Hansen - Mission specialist

Jeremy Hansen is a former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot and physicist who joined the Canadian Space Agency in 2009. Although he has never flown in space before, he has played a key role in training new astronauts at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre, becoming the first Canadian to lead that work.

He is married with three children and enjoys sailing, rock climbing and mountain biking.

Like Koch, Hansen traces his fascination with space back to Apollo 8. Growing up in rural Canada, he turned his treehouse into an imaginary spaceship after seeing a photograph of Buzz Aldrin standing on the lunar surface.

The risks the Apollo astronauts took has shaped how he talks to his own family about Artemis II. Over the Christmas holidays they watched footage of the uncrewed Artemis I launch together so he could warn them that, when the main engines light, it can briefly look and sound like the rocket is exploding – and reassure them that this is normal.

He has told them, too, that when they hear engineers on the loop discussing "worst case scenarios" or unusual sensor readings, it will often sound scarier than it is; it is simply how teams probe the edges of safety on a first crewed flight.

If all goes to plan, Hansen will become the first non-American to travel to the Moon – a milestone he sees as a sign of how far international cooperation in space has come since Apollo. "The Artemis missions have set such an ambitious goal for humanity that… nations around the globe are coming together," he says.

Hansen will carry four Moon-shaped pendants for his wife and three children, engraved with the phrase "Moon and back" and set with their birthstones. The Canadian will also be taking maple syrup and maple cookies on his lunar voyage.

Victor J Glover - Pilot

Victor Glover is a former US Navy fighter pilot and test pilot who was selected as a Nasa astronaut in 2013. He served as pilot of Nasa's SpaceX Crew 1 mission and spent nearly six months on the International Space Station as part of Expedition 64. Born in Pomona, California, he is married with four children and is set to become the first black person to travel to the Moon.

Those who know him say he is the most charismatic of the quartet and the most sharply dressed, with designer brown leather boots that somehow look good even with an orange flight suit. His call sign, "IKE", is reputedly short for "I Know Everything", a nod to his three master's degrees in flight test engineering, systems engineering and military operational art and science.

At a red carpet event in 2023, in New York, he looked every inch the modern astronaut celebrity, alongside his wife Dionna.

Preparing for Artemis II, Glover has been working through original Gemini and Apollo journal papers from the 1960s, hunting for engineering and piloting lessons that might still apply. Between the graphs and equations, he says, you glimpse the people behind the missions; what their families were going through, what they knew and did not yet know as they pushed into the unknown.

"Pushing ourselves to explore is core to who we are," he says. "It is part of being human… We go out to explore, to learn where we are, why we are, understanding the big questions about our place in the universe."

Glover has said he will take with him a Bible, his wedding rings and family heirlooms, along with a collection of inspirational quotations compiled by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.

In a Nasa video, each of the astronauts distil the mission into a single phrase. "We are ready," says Koch; "We are going," adds Hansen; "To the Moon," says Glover. Wiseman, completes the sentence: "For all humanity!"

The first journey to deep space since 1972 comes at a crucial time in Donald Trump's presidency.

The US is bitterly divided on topics ranging from the ongoing US strikes in Iran to immigration and the economy.

So a successful Artemis mission, sending four astronauts to the Moon on Wednesday, could give Trump's administration a boost. The potential benefits are huge - a competitive edge with China, the possibility of a lunar gold rush, and a rare moment of national unity.

Officially, the mission - which will take the crew further into space than anyone has ever been before - is a stepping stone, Nasa says, towards a permanent lunar base and eventually, Mars.

'Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars'

While US interest in returning to the Moon pre-dates his entry into politics, Trump directly created what became Artemis in his first term, vowing to "launch American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars". He also saw military opportunities and launched a new arm of the Pentagon, Space Force.

In his second term, however, Trump's goal has shifted to the Moon. In December last year, he signed an executive order calling for a US return to the Moon by 2028 and the establishment of a permanent outpost there by 2030. The order said that US superiority in space was a measure of national vision and willpower, contributing to the nation's strength, security and prosperity.

Not mentioned in the executive order was lunar competition from China - a factor that Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman has laid out explicitly.

"We find ourselves with a real geopolitical rival, challenging American leadership in the high ground of space," Isaacman said at a Nasa event on 24 March. "This time, the goal is not flags and footprints," he added. "This time, the goal is to stay. America will never again give up the Moon."

Battle for ideological influence on Earth

During the Cold War space race with the Soviets, the point of getting to the Moon was almost entirely geopolitical.

With Washington and Moscow locked in a battle for ideological influence on Earth, space became another arena in which to demonstrate technological superiority, which for the US became increasingly urgent after the 1957 Soviet launch of Sputnik - the world's first satellite - sent shockwaves through the US.

John F Kennedy made the mission explicitly political, both publicly and in private.

"This is important for political reasons," Kennedy said in a declassified 1962 recorded White House conversation with Nasa administrator James Webb. "This is, whether we like it or not, a race."

Space race with China

The new Moon race is between the US and China, which has its own fast-moving plans to put a crew on the lunar surface in the next few years.

This exploration could have a vast, potentially lucrative economic angle at a time when both countries are locked in trade tensions.

Former Nasa administrator Sean O' Keefe told the BBC that the nations that land on the Moon will have the advantage of exploring and developing the resources that are there.

"After all these years of thinking it was nothing more than a dust bowl, we have come to realise it has a significant amount of helium 3," he said, adding that the element can be potentially used to operate small, compact nuclear fusion reactors with relatively long lifespans. "That opens up all sorts of other opportunities."

Additionally, the moon is home to water ice, which can be used for rocket propulsion, as well as rare earth minerals such as lithium, platinum and other materials critical to electronics and clean energy technology.

On Earth, these markets are currently dominated by Chinese mining operations, a key concern of the Trump administration.

The value of these resources remains unknown, but could be massive. Helium 3 alone currently trades at more than $20,000 per kilogram, making it one of the most valuable resources on earth.

• First stop, the Moon. Next stop, Mars? Why Nasa's mission matters
• The personal items the Artemis II crew are taking to the Moon
• Could weather conditions stop Artemis Moon launch?
• When is Nasa's Moon mission launch and what will Artemis do?
• Artemis II: Inside the Moon mission to fly humans further than ever

'Lunar gold rush'

Clayton Swope, a veteran of the CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology and former adviser on space affairs on Capitol Hill, compared the "lunar gold rush" to the Lewis and Clark expedition across the western US in the early 1800s.

"We didn't quite know the value of the western part of the US, or the Pacific Northwest, but we thought it was there," he said. "Part of [the mission] is trying to figure out what that value is. We can't quite put a price tag or a dollar amount on the Moon, but you can't get away from that competition and rivalry with China."

The White House certainly views space as another arena for the US to exert its dominance.

"With President Trump's America-First policies, the United States will lead humanity into space and enter a new era of groundbreaking achievements in space technology and exploration," said spokeswoman Liz Huston.

Trump's generation grew up with images of astronaut Neil Armstrong taking his historic first steps on the moon in July 1969 - they are etched on their collective consciousness.

At the time, the US was in turmoil.

American soldiers were fighting and dying in an unpopular war in Vietnam; civil rights tensions were rife; the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were still being felt; and the polarising figure of Richard Nixon was sat in the White House.

Despite those divisions, an estimated 125 to 150 million Americans tuned in to watch the Apollo 11 Moon landing, providing a rare moment of collective national pride at a difficult time in US history.

Collective national pride

Some experts say that the Artemis mission could replicate that again in 2026, at a time when Americans are polarised once more, and again the US is at war.

"Space is one of the few areas that Americans with different political views can enjoy and watch together," said Esther Brimmer, a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations who specialises in space policy.

"The space programme is something that most Americans have grown up with and see as a point of pride," she added. "It's by and large unifying, in terms of the social impact."

Astrophysicist David Gerdes was five years old when Armstrong walked on the moon.

"One of my very earliest memories was being allowed to stay up way past my usual bedtime, dozing on a blanket in front of our black-and-white television, watching Walter Cronkite report on the Apollo 11 landing," said Gerdes, now a professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.

"Many, many people of all ages were inspired by the technology, the boldness, and the spirit of the astronauts."

For a moment, he adds, it transcended partisan divisions.

"I would certainly hope that a return to the Moon by a group of Americans that is more diverse than those who took part in the 1960s can really help bring the country together."

In just a few days Nasa is planning to launch the Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts on their way to the Moon.

Their voyage around our nearest neighbour will pave the way for a lunar landing and, eventually, a Moon base.

Nasa's Artemis programme has taken years of work, involved thousands of people and is estimated to have cost $93bn to date.

But for some, there's a distinct feeling of "been there, done that".

More than 50 years ago, America's Apollo missions made history when the first people set foot on the lunar surface. With six landings in total, it felt like the Moon had been well and truly ticked off the space to-do list.

So why is the US spending so much time, effort and money racing to return?

Valuable resources

The terrain might look dry, dusty and seems rather barren, but it's far from that.

"The Moon has got the same elements in it that we have here on Earth," says Prof Sara Russell, a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum.

"An example is rare earth elements, which are very scarce on Earth, and there might be parts of the Moon where these are concentrated enough to be able to mine them."

There are metals too, like iron and titanium, and also helium, which is used in everything from superconductors to medical equipment.

But the resource that's the biggest draw is the most surprising: water.

"It has water trapped in some of its minerals, and it also has substantial amounts of water at the poles," says Russell.

There are craters that are permanently in shadow, she says, where ice can build up.

Having access to water is vital if you want to live on the Moon. It not only provides drinking water, but can also be split into hydrogen and oxygen to provide air for astronauts to breathe, and even fuel for spacecraft.

Race for space dominance

America's Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s were driven by a race for space dominance with the Soviet Union. This time around China is the competition.

China has been making fast progress with its space programme. It's successfully landed robots and rovers on the Moon, and says it will get humans there by 2030.

There's still prestige in being the first to plant your flag in the lunar dust. But now it really matters where you plant it.

Both the US and China want access to the areas with the most abundant resources, which means securing the best lunar real estate.

The United Nations 1967 Outer Space Treaty says that no country can own the Moon. But when it comes to what's found on the Moon, it's not quite so straightforward.

"Although you can't own a piece of the land because of the UN treaty, you can basically operate on that land without anybody interfering with it," says Dr Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut.

"So the big thing right now is to try to grab your piece of land. You can't own it, but you can use it. And once you're there, you've got it for as long as you want it."

Paving the way to Mars

Nasa has its sights set on Mars and wants to send people there by the 2030s.

Given the technological hurdles it needs to overcome, it's a pretty ambitious timeline.

But you have to start somewhere, and the US has decided the Moon is that place.

"Going to the Moon and staying there for a sustained period is much safer, much cheaper and much easier to be a test bed for learning how to live and work on another planet," says Libby Jackson, head of space at the Science Museum.

On a Moon base, Nasa can perfect the tech to provide the air and water astronauts need. They'll have to work out how to generate power and build habitats to protect people from extreme temperatures as well as dangerous space radiation.

"These are all technologies that if you try them for the first time on Mars and they go wrong, it's potentially catastrophic. It's much safer and much easier to try them out on the Moon," Jackson says.

Mysteries yet to be unlocked

Scientists can't wait to get their (gloved) hands on material from the Moon.

The rocks brought home by the Apollo astronauts transformed our understanding of our celestial neighbour.

"They told us that the Moon was formed by this incredibly dramatic event, where a Mars-sized body smashed into the Earth and the bits that came off formed the Moon. We know about that because of the Apollo rocks," says Prof Sara Russell.

But she says there is still much to discover.

Because the Moon was once a part of the Earth, it holds a record of 4.5bn years of our own planet's history. And with no plate tectonics, or wind and rain to wipe this record away, the Moon is a perfect time capsule.

"The Moon is a fantastic archive of the Earth," says Russell. "A new haul of rocks from a different area of the Moon would be amazing."

Inspiring a new generation

The grainy black-and-white footage beamed back from the Apollo missions transformed the dream of space into a reality.

And while only a lucky few watching would become astronauts themselves, many went on to careers in science, technology and engineering.

It's hoped that the Artemis missions - streamed live and in 4k - will inspire a new generation.

"We live in a world of technology. We need scientists, engineers and mathematicians - and space has a brilliant ability to excite people about those subjects," says Libby Jackson.

New jobs and a thriving space economy will give the US a return on the billions of dollars it's poured into Artemis. As will any spin-offs from the technology developed for the missions that have a use on Earth.

But Helen Sharman says a return to the Moon will also give the world a much-needed boost.

"If we really come together, we can produce so much that's beneficial to humankind," says Sharman.

"It shows us what humans are capable of."

Top image shows a digital illustration of the surface of Mars.

Just before her fourth birthday Sophia Scott's parents were told she had a condition that causes childhood dementia.

They walked away with a single sheet of paper and were advised to make the most of the time they had left with her.

Now 15, Sophia can no longer speak and cannot walk unaided. She may not live past her 16th birthday.

Her dad Darren and mum Amanda are now separated but both help care for Sophia.

Darren juggles this with his job as a hospitality manager while Amanda left her job to look after her.

Darren also campaigns to raise awareness of Sophia's condition, Sanfilippo syndrome.

It is an inherited, rare, progressive and incurable condition.

Sophia's early childhood was happy. Darren, from Glasgow, said she loved dancing, cooking, playing and going to school.

Although there were some delays in her development, there was nothing to suggest the scale of what was to come.

"We didn't have any concerns there was something remotely wrong," he told BBC Scotland News.

"There were some delays on her markers, but we didn't think anything this huge.

"We were basically given a life sentence, this progressive incurable disease was going to take our only child.

"We were given a piece of A4 paper, and essentially told to make the most of the time we had."

Darren said the couple were given no support or expertise.

"We were told to make memories," he said.

Darren, and Sophia's mum Amanda, were so shocked and devastated at the news that they threw up in the street outside the hospital.

"We were collapsed outside - we were told our daughter is going to die," Darren said.

"In that moment we both were broken, our lives had been shattered.

"We were in a complete state of shock and left feeling like what do we do now? Our life had changed forever and we felt alone."

What made the diagnosis even more difficult for the family was that, for a while, life still felt normal.

The condition is initially very gradual so for the next few years, Sophia, who is an only child, was still very much herself.

It left her family living with the knowledge of what was coming, while trying to hold on to everyday life.

As she got older, the disease began to progress.

Darren said that by the age of six or seven, changes in Sophia's behaviour had become more noticeable, including hyperactivity and mood swings.

Over time, her condition continued to worsen and she can now no longer speak.

"We would look at Sophia, this perfectly happy little girl and think why her? Why? And how is this all going to change?' he said.

"We just kept looking at every little thing she did and thought will that be the last time she does that? Or will this be the last time she says that?"

Darren said it was very hard to cope with the fact that Sophia could no longer tell them when something was wrong.

But he said one of the hardest parts was not hearing her voice anymore.

"As for her last words, like much of her loss, it's all rather cloudy and painful," he said.

"It's all such a slow decline but we would sing together as much as possible as she'd remember the words of her favourite songs and smile.

"She always said I love you a lot and we have a video late on of her still just managing to say this."

Campaigners say childhood dementia remains one of the least understood and least recognised life-limiting conditions affecting children.

• According to Alzheimer Scotland, around 380 families in Scotland are affected by childhood dementia

• There are estimated to be 204 deaths a year of people with childhood dementia. The figure for childhood cancer (0-14 years) is 260

• Half of those with childhood dementia die by the age of 10 and 70% before their 18th birthday

The charity says the condition is caused by more than 145 rare genetic disorders, including Sanfilippo syndrome, and that children and families are too often left to navigate it without a clear pathway of care or support.

As well as caring for Sophia, Darren has become an advocate for families affected by childhood dementia, working with Alzheimer Scotland and speaking at the Scottish Parliament to push for better awareness and practical support.

He also raises awareness through his Instagram page @hundredsofpromises and has connected with families around the world facing similar experiences, including in Australia, where he says support for children with dementia and their carers is far more developed.

Although Sophia's family receives some support, Darren says it falls far short of what is needed.

They are entitled to about 20 hours of care a week but outside that, the responsibility falls almost entirely on him and Sophia's mum.

The Scottish government recently announced it was providing £118,873 to Alzheimer Scotland to support the employment of two new childhood dementia development officers - making Scotland the first country in the UK to fund this kind of dedicated support.

The development officers will be responsible for raising awareness of childhood dementia, developing understanding among professionals, and ensuring a support network is in place for families affected by it.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: "Childhood dementia may still be considered rare but for many it can be life-limiting.

"That's why we're doing all we can to maximise life expectancy and to ensure families have access to the support and care they need."

While Darren welcomed the move, he said it highlighted what little help there had been available to families like his.

In a report published in December 2025, Alzheimer Scotland called for childhood dementia to be included in the Scottish government's national dementia strategy, alongside a nationally standardised framework of care and increased research investment.

Alzheimer Scotland said the newly funded roles were an important step, but campaigners believe much more still needs to be done.

Jim Pearson, the charity's deputy chief executive and chairman of Childhood Dementia Scotland, said in the report that childhood dementia remained "largely invisible" within health, social care and education systems.

He said: "Families cannot wait. Scotland must act now so every child gets timely, compassionate support."

For Darren, the issue is not only about awareness but about making whatever time Sophia has left as supported and comfortable as possible.

He added that no family should ever receive a diagnosis like his daughter's and be left to face it alone.

Weight-loss jab Wegovy will be offered for free on the NHS to more than a million people in England at risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The watchdog NICE says people with these health issues, or serious circulation problems in their legs, and who are overweight, should have the weekly jab "as an extra layer of protection".

A GP or specialist will check if it is the right option for those already taking other heart medicines, such as statins, and alongside a healthy diet.

Drug trials suggest Wegovy can help slash the risk of future heart and circulation problems.

Cutting heart risk

In tests on tens of thousands of people, the jabs - alongside existing heart medicines - were linked to a 20% reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Importantly, benefits were seen early in the clinical trial, before significant weight loss occurred, suggesting the drug works directly on the heart and blood vessels, not just through weight loss, says NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).

Each year in the UK, there are around 100,000 hospital admissions due to heart attacks, another 100,000 people experience a stroke and around 350,000 people live with peripheral arterial disease.

People who have already had one of these health issues are at higher risk of experiencing more problems and stand to benefit from medicines that can cut that risk.

Disease might be prevented in around seven in 10 cases, experts estimate, based on best evidence.

Helen Knight, from NICE, said: "We know that people who have already had a heart attack or stroke are living with real fear that it could happen again.

"The evidence from the clinical trial is compelling. It showed that people taking semaglutide alongside their existing heart medicines were significantly less likely to have another heart attack or stroke.

"Today's decision gives thousands of people in that situation an extra layer of protection, on top of the medicines they are already taking."

Patients prescribed Wegovy will be able to self-administer the drug at home using a special pen injector device.

It is recommended for those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) classed as overweight or obese - higher or equal to 27.

Rollout should begin this summer.

The drug, also known as semaglutide, works as an appetite suppressant by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1 that makes people feel fuller, which can help them lose weight.

It also slows down how quickly food is digested. Some people may experience bloating, nausea or discomfort as a side effect.

Doctors should also prescribe lifestyle changes that include eating healthily and getting enough exercise to help people keep the weight off.

Currently, treatment with Wegovy is limited to two years on the NHS through specialist services and its long-term risks are still being studied.

Many say the treatment should be considered life-long, given the risk of relapse.

NICE says the NHS has reached an agreement with the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk that makes the treatment, ensuring it will be cost-effective.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan from the British Heart Foundation said she hoped the injections could be made available to everyone who could benefit "as soon as possible".

Prof Robert Storey, an expert in heart health at the University of Sheffield, warned GLP-1 drugs could reduce muscle mass as well as fat.

"Physical activity, such as resistance training, is important to counteract potential negative effects on muscle strength," he added.

Around 2.7 million people are set to receive a pay rise this week as the national minimum wage goes up by 50p to £12.71 for over 21s.

Workers aged 18-20 will see an 85p rise to £10.85, and under-18s and apprentices will get 45p more to £8 an hour.

Campaigners have welcomed the increases, but businesses have said the higher wage bills will force them to increase prices or cut staff.

The Low Pay Commission, the government agency which recommended the increases, said previous minimum wage rises for over-21s had "not had a significant negative impact on jobs".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said wages were going up "for the lowest paid" but said the government "must go further to bear down on costs".

Spencer Bowman is the managing director of of Mettricks, a chain of four coffee shops in Southampton. He says he would normally be "thrilled" to pay staff more, but "the cost increases have got to be sustainable".

"There's nothing that I'd want more than to ensure that my team can earn a really fair amount of money for a fair day's work. And it's been one of my long-term ambitions to see hospitality workers, my employees, paid far more."

But Spencer says his business is being squeezed from every angle – as well as minimum wage, he has had increases in business rates, national insurance, and statutory sick pay. He also expects energy bills to go up because of the war in the Middle East.

"We're running on a minimum number of staff on shift. We can't run on fewer people," he says.

"If something doesn't give somewhere, we will be closing sites.

"It doesn't make any sense. Revenue is up. Our customer numbers are up. But our costs everywhere have hit a point where we're not financially sustainable and if that continues, there's only one outcome for that."

The minimum wage increases are on top of a 6.7% rise for over-21s and a 16.3% rise for 18 to 20-year-olds respectively last year, when there was also a rise in employers' National Insurance contributions.

Ministers are considering slowing down plans to pay adults of all ages the same minimum wage.

Labour committed in their election manifesto to remove "discretionary age bands" and increase the wages of 18 to 20-year-olds so they are paid the same as those over 21.

Ifunanya Ezechukwu, 25, calls the minimum wage rise a "step in the right direction".

"Especially with the cost of living being really bad, people need more money so they can actually afford the basics," she tells BBC Newsbeat.

She doesn't think employers paying staff more will necessarily translate to fewer job opportunities.

"I feel like they're probably just going to up the prices of their services, so I don't think there'll be less job opportunities," she says.

"I just feel like some things might get more expensive, which is unfortunate, and then the cycle just continues."

Alex McCarthy, a university student who works part-time in a pub, says he is feeling "very, very happy" about the rise.

But the 18-year-old says it probably won't be enough for some of his friends, who are working while living at university but are still struggling to do weekly shops and are having to borrow money off their parents.

Amelia Evans, 18, believes the rise is necessary because "everything is going up in price". But she is concerned it will limit her job opportunities.

"So far this year I think I've done maybe 20 applications, and haven't got any. I feel like it's going to impact me even more now."

When Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the increases in the Budget last year, she said the cost of living was still the biggest issue for working people.

"The economy isn't working well enough for those on the lowest incomes," she added.

At the time, the Treasury said the new minimum wage rates for 2026 struck a balance between "the needs of workers, the affordability for businesses and the opportunities for employment".

The Living Wage Foundation has welcomed the rises but says they do not go far enough.

The Foundation calculates what is known as the Real Living Wage, which it says is a more accurate reflection of the cost of living in the UK. It currently stands at £13.45 across the UK and £14.80 in London.

Kate Chapman, the executive director of the Living Wage Foundation, said one in seven businesses now pay the Real Living Wage.

"That's because they know the Living Wage is good for people, good for society and good for business," she said.

The British Chamber of Commerce has said that tax and labour costs are the biggest concerns for British businesses.

In its quarterly survey of 4,000 firms, 73% said labour costs are putting pressure on them to raise prices.

Additional reporting by Georgia Levy-Collins, Lizzy Bella, and Jemma Crew

Weight-loss jab Wegovy will be offered for free on the NHS to more than a million people in England at risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The watchdog NICE says people with these health issues, or serious circulation problems in their legs, and who are overweight, should have the weekly jab "as an extra layer of protection".

A GP or specialist will check if it is the right option for those already taking other heart medicines, such as statins, and alongside a healthy diet.

Drug trials suggest Wegovy can help slash the risk of future heart and circulation problems.

Cutting heart risk

In tests on tens of thousands of people, the jabs - alongside existing heart medicines - were linked to a 20% reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Importantly, benefits were seen early in the clinical trial, before significant weight loss occurred, suggesting the drug works directly on the heart and blood vessels, not just through weight loss, says NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).

Each year in the UK, there are around 100,000 hospital admissions due to heart attacks, another 100,000 people experience a stroke and around 350,000 people live with peripheral arterial disease.

People who have already had one of these health issues are at higher risk of experiencing more problems and stand to benefit from medicines that can cut that risk.

Disease might be prevented in around seven in 10 cases, experts estimate, based on best evidence.

Helen Knight, from NICE, said: "We know that people who have already had a heart attack or stroke are living with real fear that it could happen again.

"The evidence from the clinical trial is compelling. It showed that people taking semaglutide alongside their existing heart medicines were significantly less likely to have another heart attack or stroke.

"Today's decision gives thousands of people in that situation an extra layer of protection, on top of the medicines they are already taking."

Patients prescribed Wegovy will be able to self-administer the drug at home using a special pen injector device.

It is recommended for those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) classed as overweight or obese - higher or equal to 27.

Rollout should begin this summer.

The drug, also known as semaglutide, works as an appetite suppressant by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1 that makes people feel fuller, which can help them lose weight.

It also slows down how quickly food is digested. Some people may experience bloating, nausea or discomfort as a side effect.

Doctors should also prescribe lifestyle changes that include eating healthily and getting enough exercise to help people keep the weight off.

Currently, treatment with Wegovy is limited to two years on the NHS through specialist services and its long-term risks are still being studied.

Many say the treatment should be considered life-long, given the risk of relapse.

NICE says the NHS has reached an agreement with the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk that makes the treatment, ensuring it will be cost-effective.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan from the British Heart Foundation said she hoped the injections could be made available to everyone who could benefit "as soon as possible".

Prof Robert Storey, an expert in heart health at the University of Sheffield, warned GLP-1 drugs could reduce muscle mass as well as fat.

"Physical activity, such as resistance training, is important to counteract potential negative effects on muscle strength," he added.

"People going up to the Moon is kind of cool," eight-year-old Isiah says.

He is among the 400,000 people expected to cram the causeways, beaches and motel balconies of Florida's Space Coast for the launch attempt of Artemis II tonight.

They will watch as four astronauts blast into space in the hope of flying around the Moon and potentially travelling further from Earth than anyone has ever been before.

Nasa's 10-day test flight will not land on the Moon. However, the crew may witness views of the lunar landscapes that have never been seen by human eyes.

Amanda Garcia has travelled more than 1,000 miles from New Mexico to witness the launch. "I'm pretty excited about it," she tells us.

"I came out here to see it, and I heard it's gonna be a great show. A lot of people are going to be here."

Beyond the Kennedy Space Centre launch site, along the lagoon and beaches of Titusville and Cocoa Beach, bars are advertising "moonshots" and hotels are warning guests to expect long delays getting to and from viewing spots.

Local officials talk of a "historic influx" of tourists and an economic impact of around $160m (£121m), putting traffic plans in place for a night when the highway lights will compete with the glow of floodlit launch towers as well as camper van barbecues.

A mile or so from the pads where Artemis II will light up the sky, Brenda Mulberry, owner of Space Shirts, has been selling Nasa T-shirts and souvenirs for 40 years.

In her small shop on Merritt Island, racks of orange, blue and black T-shirts depict hand drawn rockets, mission patches and moonscapes, ready for the crowds who arrive on regular launch days. But this launch is different, she tells us. "We've wanted to go back to the Moon since the '70s. People are excited. People are beyond excited," she said.

Brenda says she has stocked up for the biggest surge of customers she has ever seen.

"I want to have the first T-shirt shop on the Moon," she says. "Because if you've been there, you get the T-shirt, right?" she adds, laughing.

Future Artemis missions plan to land humans on the Moon for the first time since 1972. But this time, the goal is to build a permanent Moon base to exploit its natural resources and provide a springboard for an attempt to reach Mars.

Artemis II's mission commander, Reid Wiseman, said he hoped the effort to return to the Moon would inspire a new generation.

"In our lifetime, we've looked at the Moon knowing that people had been there. And now in the Artemis generation, kids will walk out and look at the Moon going, we are there. We are there now, and we are going further into our solar system."

Tonight, all attention will turn to Launch Pad 39B - the same historic stretch of concrete from which the US Apollo programme first landed men on the Moon in 1969. Standing on the pad is Nasa's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

At 98m (321ft) tall, the white and orange giant is the heaviest rocket the agency has ever launched. At its top sits Orion, a capsule about the size of a small van, where the four astronauts will spend the next 10 days in close proximity. It will be the first time the capsule has been put through its paces with a human crew on board.

If all goes to schedule, the rocket will launch between 18:24-20:24 local time (23:24-01:24 BST) on Wednesday.

The astronauts who will strap into Orion about four hours before launch have spent years training together.

Up front, on the left hand side will be Wiseman, the Artemis II commander, while pilot Victor Glover will sit beside him. Behind them will be Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian fighter pilot turned astronaut. This will be his first trip into space.

After reaching orbit, Orion spends its first day in high Earth orbit practising manual flying and testing life support before shaping its path towards the Moon.

On Day 2, a long trans-lunar injection burn puts the spacecraft onto a free return trajectory that would naturally loop it around the Moon and back to Earth, with small correction burns fine tuning the course.

Each day of the mission involves different tests and challenges for the crew.

Day 6 stands out because Orion is due to fly around the far side of the moon. All radio contact will be lost for about 40 minutes, meaning flight controllers won't know what is happening on board.

Orion will be travelling about 4,000–6,000 miles above the Moon's surface and may slightly exceed Apollo 13's record distance of about 250,000 miles (400,000km) from Earth, depending on the exact trajectory.

In the days that follow, Orion will be pulled naturally back towards Earth by the same free return trajectory that sent it out, with small course adjustment burns ensuring the capsule hits the atmosphere at just the right angle.

On the final day, the crew will strap in for the most brutal part of the trip: re-entry into Earth's atmosphere at about 25,000mph (40,000 km/h), when Orion's heat shield must again face temperatures hot enough to char rock.

After the first uncrewed test flight, Artemis I, engineers found that chunks of the heat shield's coating had cracked and broken away during a two‑stage "skip" re‑entry manoeuvre. This saw the capsule dip into the upper atmosphere, briefly climb again, then plunge back in so as to best cope with the heat, G-forces and splashdown accuracy needed.

For Artemis II they are keeping this two‑step re-entry, but changing the angle and timing so Orion spends less time in the initial, gentler dip. Modelling suggests this should reduce the heating and loads that caused extra charring, but this will be the first time the revised descent is flown with a crew.

If Artemis II is a success, the next time the Space Coast fills up like this it will be for another test flight – another step closer to people actually walking on the Moon again, half a century after the last footprints were made.

And somewhere between the marsh grass and the launch pads, there will almost certainly be someone wearing one of Brenda Mulberry's shirts, already dreaming of the day when her logo appears not just on Florida cotton, but in a photograph taken on the Moon.

Around 2.7 million people are set to receive a pay rise this week as the national minimum wage goes up by 50p to £12.71 for over 21s.

Workers aged 18-20 will see an 85p rise to £10.85, and under-18s and apprentices will get 45p more to £8 an hour.

Campaigners have welcomed the increases, but businesses have said the higher wage bills will force them to increase prices or cut staff.

The Low Pay Commission, the government agency which recommended the increases, said previous minimum wage rises for over-21s had "not had a significant negative impact on jobs".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said wages were going up "for the lowest paid" but said the government "must go further to bear down on costs".

Spencer Bowman is the managing director of of Mettricks, a chain of four coffee shops in Southampton. He says he would normally be "thrilled" to pay staff more, but "the cost increases have got to be sustainable".

"There's nothing that I'd want more than to ensure that my team can earn a really fair amount of money for a fair day's work. And it's been one of my long-term ambitions to see hospitality workers, my employees, paid far more."

But Spencer says his business is being squeezed from every angle – as well as minimum wage, he has had increases in business rates, national insurance, and statutory sick pay. He also expects energy bills to go up because of the war in the Middle East.

"We're running on a minimum number of staff on shift. We can't run on fewer people," he says.

"If something doesn't give somewhere, we will be closing sites.

"It doesn't make any sense. Revenue is up. Our customer numbers are up. But our costs everywhere have hit a point where we're not financially sustainable and if that continues, there's only one outcome for that."

The minimum wage increases are on top of a 6.7% rise for over-21s and a 16.3% rise for 18 to 20-year-olds respectively last year, when there was also a rise in employers' National Insurance contributions.

Ministers are considering slowing down plans to pay adults of all ages the same minimum wage.

Labour committed in their election manifesto to remove "discretionary age bands" and increase the wages of 18 to 20-year-olds so they are paid the same as those over 21.

Ifunanya Ezechukwu, 25, calls the minimum wage rise a "step in the right direction".

"Especially with the cost of living being really bad, people need more money so they can actually afford the basics," she tells BBC Newsbeat.

She doesn't think employers paying staff more will necessarily translate to fewer job opportunities.

"I feel like they're probably just going to up the prices of their services, so I don't think there'll be less job opportunities," she says.

"I just feel like some things might get more expensive, which is unfortunate, and then the cycle just continues."

Alex McCarthy, a university student who works part-time in a pub, says he is feeling "very, very happy" about the rise.

But the 18-year-old says it probably won't be enough for some of his friends, who are working while living at university but are still struggling to do weekly shops and are having to borrow money off their parents.

Amelia Evans, 18, believes the rise is necessary because "everything is going up in price". But she is concerned it will limit her job opportunities.

"So far this year I think I've done maybe 20 applications, and haven't got any. I feel like it's going to impact me even more now."

When Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the increases in the Budget last year, she said the cost of living was still the biggest issue for working people.

"The economy isn't working well enough for those on the lowest incomes," she added.

At the time, the Treasury said the new minimum wage rates for 2026 struck a balance between "the needs of workers, the affordability for businesses and the opportunities for employment".

The Living Wage Foundation has welcomed the rises but says they do not go far enough.

The Foundation calculates what is known as the Real Living Wage, which it says is a more accurate reflection of the cost of living in the UK. It currently stands at £13.45 across the UK and £14.80 in London.

Kate Chapman, the executive director of the Living Wage Foundation, said one in seven businesses now pay the Real Living Wage.

"That's because they know the Living Wage is good for people, good for society and good for business," she said.

The British Chamber of Commerce has said that tax and labour costs are the biggest concerns for British businesses.

In its quarterly survey of 4,000 firms, 73% said labour costs are putting pressure on them to raise prices.

Additional reporting by Georgia Levy-Collins, Lizzy Bella, and Jemma Crew

US troops storming a secretive, underground nuclear facility to seize Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium may sound far-fetched, but it is an option President Donald Trump is reportedly considering to achieve his main objective in the war: preventing the regime from developing nuclear weapons.

Such an operation would be extremely challenging and fraught with danger, according to military experts and former US defence officials who spoke to the BBC. They said it would require the deployment of ground troops and could take several days or even weeks to complete.

Removing the uranium stockpile would be one of the "most complicated special operations in history," said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Middle East.

The scenario is just one of several military actions that Trump could take in Iran.

Others include the US taking control of Kharg Island in an effort to pressure Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The administration may also be using the threat of new military operations to pressure Iran to the negotiating table.

In a telephone interview with the BBC's US partner CBS News on Tuesday, President Trump declined to say whether it would be possible to declare victory in the war without removing or destroying Iran's enriched uranium.

But he appeared to play down the significance of the stockpile, pointing to the damage caused in US-Israeli strikes last June. "That's so deeply buried it's gonna be very hard for anybody," Trump said. "It's down there deep. So… it's pretty safe. But, you know, we'll make a determination."

His remarks came after the Wall Street Journal reported that the US was considering an operation to extract the material. The White House said Trump was yet to make a final decision.

An operation targeting Iran's stockpile would face several major logistical challenges, experts said.

At the start of the war, Iran possessed approximately 440kg of uranium enriched to 60%, according to senior US officials. The material can be fairly quickly enriched to the 90% threshold needed for weapons-grade uranium.

Iran also has roughly 1,000kg of uranium enriched to 20%, and 8,500kg that are enriched to the 3.6% threshold accepted for medical research.

Most of the highly enriched uranium that can be easily turned into material for bombs or missiles is believed to be stored at Isfahan. The facility is one of three underground nuclear sites in Iran that were targeted in US-Israeli airstrikes last year.

But it is unclear how much of the highly enriched uranium is stored at other locations.

A military operation to retrieve the material would be easier if the US knew exactly where the stockpile was, said Jason Campbell, a former senior US defence official in the Obama and Trump administrations.

"The ideal scenario is that you know exactly where it is," Campbell said. "If it's been dispersed to four different sites, then you're talking about a whole different" level of complexity.

In addition to Isfahan, some highly enriched uranium could also be stored at Fordo and Natanz, the other two enrichment facilities that were targeted in Operation Midnight Hammer last year.

Rafael Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said last month that the majority of Iran's highly enriched uranium is stored at Isfahan, with some additional material at Natanz. But Grossi said more detailed information wasn't available because inspectors haven't visited the sites since being evacuated from Iran after the US-Israeli air campaign in 2025.

"There are many questions that we will only elucidate when we are able to go back," Grossi told reporters.

Gaining access to the highly enriched uranium presents another set of challenges, assuming the US knows where it is.

There are signs that Iran fortified an underground complex near one of its nuclear facilities before this year's US-Israeli strikes. At Isfahan, for example, satellite imagery from February indicated all entrances to its tunnel complex appeared to be sealed off with earth, which would make any operation more difficult.

Since the start of the war, the US and Israel have been able to use air strikes alone to decimate Iran's navy, degrade its ballistic missiles and damage its industrial base. But unlike those other military objectives, experts said that securing Iran's enriched uranium could not be done without using ground forces.

The US could use elements of the 82nd Airborne Division - which were deployed to the Middle East - to secure the areas surrounding Isfahan and Natanz. Special operations forces that are trained to handle nuclear material would then be sent in to retrieve the enriched uranium. The uranium itself is in gaseous form and is believed to be stored in large metal containers.

Satellite imagery shows that the entrances to Isfahan and Natanz were badly damaged by US airstrikes. US forces would likely need heavy machinery to dig through rubble in order to locate the enriched uranium, which is believed to be stored in tunnels buried deep underground - all while facing potential counterattacks from Iran.

"You've first got to excavate the site and detect [the enriched uranium] while likely being under near constant threat," Campbell said.

It is an open question how Iran might respond, or how much of a threat it might pose to US ground troops targeting the country's main nuclear facilities.

The US and Israel have been degrading "Iranian defence capabilities to enable this type of operation if it was necessary," said Alex Plitsas, a former US defence official and nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. Nevertheless, he said it would still be a "high risk" operation.

US ground troops would be isolated at Isfahan, which is located approximately 300 miles (482km) inland from Iran's third largest city. "It makes [medical evacuations] difficult given the distances. It makes [US troops] vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire coming in and out, as well as attacks while they're" at the nuclear facility," Plitsas said.

While the operation could take multiple forms, experts said it would likely involve the seizure of an airfield or landing zone from which US forces could operate - and then remove the enriched uranium from Iran once they have retrieved it.

The 82nd Airborne Division, which is trained to secure airfields and other infrastructure, could be used along with other US forces to stage an operating base for the mission, military experts said. Once the uranium is secured, the US would then face the question of removing it from the country or diluting it on site.

Senior administration officials said at the start of the war that the US might consider diluting Iran's highly enriched uranium on site, rather than removing it from the country. But that would be a large, complex and time-consuming operation, said Jonathan Ruhe, an expert on Iran's nuclear programme at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, a conservative think tank in Washington DC.

Seizing and taking the uranium out of Iran is faster and would allow the US to dilute the material in the United States, Ruhe said. The operation would be deeply risky no matter how it is done, he added.

"You've got basically a half ton of what's effectively weapons grade uranium that you've got to extricate," Ruhe said.

"And there are a million things that could go wrong."

All Norma Tactacon can do is pray as the sirens blare.

The 49-year-old, who works in the Middle East as a domestic worker, is thousands of miles away from her home in the Philippines, where her husband and three children live.

Stuck in Qatar, which is caught in the crossfire of the US and Israel's war on Iran, her only hope is that she makes it home to her family.

"I get scared and nervous every time I see pictures and videos of missiles in the air," she tells the BBC. "I need to be alive to be there for my family. I'm all that they have."

As wealthy Gulf states turned into targets of Iranian strikes because of the US military bases they host, expats left in large numbers, while tourists and travellers have stayed away.

But it has been especially hard for the millions of migrants whose futures have now turned uncertain. From domestic help to construction workers, they have long supported these economies to lift their families back home from poverty.

Tactacon had hoped to pay for her 23-year-old son to graduate from a police academy and for her two daughters, aged 22 and 24, to become nurses, a springboard for high-paying jobs overseas.

That's why she spent a good part of the last two decades working as a maid in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

What is still keeping her there is her salary. Filipino domestic workers in the Middle East earn a minimum wage of $500 (£370) a month, roughly four to five times more than what they would make in a similar job back home.

"I hope the world will be peaceful again and things go back to the way they were. I pray that the war will stop," says Tactacon in Qatar.

But the war is making her reconsider. She might return home and start a small business with her husband. She has reason to be worried.

One of the first victims of the conflict was 32-year-old Filipina Mary Ann Veolasquez, who worked as a caregiver in Israel.

The Israeli embassy in Manila said she was injured while leading her patient to safety, after a ballistic missile struck her apartment in Tel Aviv.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the region hosts 24 million migrant workers, making it the world's top destination for overseas labour. Most of them come from Asia - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Indonesia. Many of these workers take low paid or precarious jobs, and have little access to things like healthcare, the ILO says.

At least 12 South Asian migrant workers have died so far as a result of the conflict, according to reports.

The war's mounting fatalities include Dibas Shrestha, a 29-year-old Nepali who worked as a security guard in Abu Dhabi. He died in an Iranian strike on 1 March.

"I tried to convince him to move back to Nepal, but he said he liked his job in Abu Dhabi, and that he had a good life," his uncle Ramesh told the BBC.

"We have many relatives who've moved to the Gulf for work, so we were very worried for all of them,"

When the war started, Shrestha assured his family it was safe. In a post on Facebook, he wrote that watching the news had made him "concerned" but he also felt, "The news sometimes presents exaggerated or misleading information".

His uncle said Shrestha had been saving up to rebuild his parents' home after it had been damaged in an earthquake in 2015 that killed hundreds.

"He was their only son," Ramesh added. "So kind, and very smart."

More than 120kms away, in Dubai, debris from an intercepted missile killed Ahmad Ali, a 55-year-old water tank supplier from Bangladesh.

His son, Abdul Haque, said he joined his father to work in the UAE but returned to Bangladesh before the war started. His father continued sending money home - $500 to $600 every month, which is a huge sum in the poor South Asia nation.

Ahmad died during Ramadan, and his son was told it happened in the evening, just as people were breaking their fast.

"He really liked the people in Dubai, he said they were welcoming, that it was a great place to live," Abdul told the BBC.

"I don't even think he knew the war was going on. He didn't read the news and didn't have a smartphone."

Abdul's his view of Dubai and the region has changed: "It's not safe now, nobody wants to lose a father."

Governments in Asia have been scrambling to bring migrant workers home.

But the threat of missile strikes has disrupted travel to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. So people seeking to leave have had to take longer routes home.

The last repatriation flight saw 234 Filipino workers from Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain travel up to eight hours by land to Saudi Arabia, where 109 others were waiting to join them on a Philippine Airlines flight.

Close to 2,000 Filipino workers and their dependents were flown back to Manila as of 23 March, according to the government.

The Middle East is home to roughly half of the more than two million Filipinos working overseas, and their remittances account for 10% of the economy.

Remittances are just as crucial for Bangladesh - most of its 14 million migrant workers are in the Middle East.

Close to 500 Bangladeshi workers have been repatriated since the conflict started, and the government in Dhaka has arranged for at least two more flights home, departing from Bahrain.

For some leaving is not an option.

Su Su from Myanmar found a safe home in Dubai when she left behind a country gripped by a bloody civil war that has dragged on since 2021.

The 31-year-old, who works as an operations specialist for a real estate company, has been in Dubai for two years.

She says her current work-from-home set-up reminds her of Covid lockdowns - except when she hears the sirens. Then she needs to stay away from her window.

"I have an emergency bag prepared in case I have to evacuate... This is just a habit I got from Myanmar."

And yet, she says, "The feeling here is more calm. I believe at the end of the day, we will be fine".

Additional reporting by BBC Burmese and BBC Indonesian

"He said to her: 'You're no longer my sister', and she told him to go to hell."

This argument between a man and his sister in a city near Tehran - witnessed and recounted by one of their relatives - gives a telling insight into the painful rows erupting among families and friends as US and Israeli strikes continue.

The relative, who we are calling Sina, says that when his family recently got together at his grandmother's house, emotions quickly exploded, exposing stark divisions.

His uncle, a member of the Basij - a volunteer militia often deployed to suppress dissent in Iran - refused to even greet his own sister, who is opposed to the ruling regime.

After their exchange, the uncle was "very quiet… and left early", Sina says.

He and other young Iranians have described emotional scenes as rifts open up over the war.

Even among those opposed to the government, there are deep divisions over whether the war will help or hinder attempts to bring about change.

Despite the government-imposed internet blackout, the BBC has been able to maintain contact with some of the few Iranians who have found ways to remain online.

Iranians can be sent to prison for speaking to certain international media. But even so, over the month-long war, these contacts have been sharing information through intermittent text messages and occasional voice calls.

Their initial responses of shock and fear have given way to attempts to adapt, switching locations and changing routines. They describe the details of their lives; practising yoga despite the sounds of explosions, eating birthday cake alone and venturing out to near-empty coffee shops.

And, in some surprisingly personal notes, they have shared details about how the conflict is affecting their relationships. All of the names in this article have been changed.

Towards the end of March, Iranians celebrated Nowruz, the Persian new year festival that marks the spring equinox and is often a time when families get together.

Sina, who is in his 20s, is opposed to the clerical establishment and continues to support the Israeli and US air strikes, believing that they will help bring the regime down.

He says his uncle, the Basij member, had not attended Nowruz family gatherings in recent years, but turned up this time, to the surprise of his family. Usually, "we don't talk to him, nor to his children", says Sina.

He says he has barely spoken to his uncle since major protests in 2022 following the death in custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who was accused of not wearing the compulsory hijab properly.

More recently, Iran saw an unprecedented crackdown by the Basij and other security forces on protests that swept across the country in December and January. At least 6,508 protesters were killed and 53,000 arrested, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

Sina says that, according to other relatives, his uncle was so angered by the protests that he said even if his own children went onto the streets and were killed, he wouldn't go to collect their bodies.

And yet, Sina says, his uncle seems to be "afraid of dying" in the war and appears to have been trying to improve relations with some family members, including his own mother, Sina's grandmother.

At Nowruz, he and his wife "just looked really down and helpless", says Sina. "I didn't get into an argument with them. They should be in prison."

Another young man, Kaveh from Tehran, spent Nowruz alone.

He says his relationship with his sister, who is also a Basij member, was already difficult. After he joined the 2022 protests, he says, she became critical of his activities and unsympathetic over the deaths of friends of his in the January protests.

Kaveh has been providing internet access to friends and family via SpaceX's Starlink, which offers connectivity via satellites. In Iran, owning or using Starlink terminals is punishable by up to two years in prison.

He initially joined his family for the holiday, but he says he left the place where they were staying and later returned to find his sister had disconnected his Starlink and the devices connected to it. When he challenged her, a row broke out, he says.

"I can't stand her anymore… I just had a fight and said I can't stand it and I left," he says.

"I was so excited about Nowruz. I packed my clothes and wanted to be there with the family," Kaveh said over an encrypted line as he travelled home alone. "But now I don't feel it at all."

Most Iranians have no internet access. Starlink devices are expensive as well as illegal, so those who have access tend to be relatively wealthy. A few others manage to connect via VPNs.

Most Iranians who agree to speak to BBC Persian are opposed to the Iranian regime. But even among the government's critics, there are deep differences over this war and its impact.

According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 1,900 people have been killed in Iran by the US and Israeli strikes, while HRANA puts the total at over 3,400, more than 1,500 of them civilians.

Maral, a student in her 20s in the city of Rasht in northern Iran, has become very frustrated with her father for his continued support of the war.

He is an enthusiastic supporter of Reza Pahlavi, the crown prince of Iran before the 1979 revolution.

Pahlavi now lives in the US and has positioned himself as a potential transitional leader of the country. He supports the US and Israeli strikes on Iran despite mounting casualties, describing the attacks as a "humanitarian intervention" and recently urging the US to "stay the course".

He has gained traction in Iran in recent months as an opposition figure, with some demonstrators in the January protests chanting his name.

"I just want this war to end as soon as possible," says Maral. "Many ordinary people have died."

She says she gets "annoyed" because her father is "really optimistic", even as the bombs fall.

"We try to talk to him, but he just keeps going on about 'the Prince, the Prince,'" she says.

"My dad lives in this illusion that Iran will open up its borders and within five years everything will be rebuilt, everything will be fine. He's being influenced by Israeli propaganda that the two countries will be friends."

Her father and mother often argue about Pahlavi, she adds.

Meanwhile, Tara, a woman in her 20s in Tehran, says her close family members initially criticised her for being opposed to the war.

"They all support attacks on Iran… My mum and sister told me: 'You haven't lost anyone [during the protests], that's why you are against the strikes. You don't want your routine, exercise and coffee catch-ups to get disrupted… If they [the regime] had killed one of your friends or relatives [during the protests] you would have a different opinion.'"

But Tara says: "Thousands of innocent people could be killed in the war as well, without anyone even remembering them."

However, she says, her sister's view – like that of several other Iranians the BBC has heard from - has softened as the attacks have continued. More recently, after a nearby area was hit, she says her sister simply said: "I hope the war finishes soon."

And despite their differences, the family still try to go everywhere together, Tara says. That way, "we would all die together if they hit us".

A 36-year-old man has been charged after a car struck a number of pedestrians in Derby city centre on Saturday.

Sandhu Ponnachan, from Alvaston, Derby, has been charged with six counts of grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent and one count of attempted GBH with intent, one count of dangerous driving, and one count of possession of a bladed article.

Seven people were seriously hurt when they were hit by a black Suzuki Swift in Friar Gate at about 21:30 GMT on Saturday.

Ponnachan, who police said was originally from India, is due before magistrates on Wednesday.

In a statement, Ch Supt Emma Aldred called the charge "positive news", but reiterated that the investigation is ongoing and called on the public to come forward with any information.

"This incident has, naturally, sent shockwaves through the community of Derby and the county as a whole," she said.

She added: "My thoughts, and those of the wider force, remain with each of the seven injured people, their families, and witnesses at the scene."

Aldred also urged the public to "allow the judicial process to continue without any speculation" that could impede the "pursuit of justice for all those affected".

Counter-terrorism police had joined the investigation after the incident, but the Derbyshire force earlier said this was "common practice" and officers were "keeping an open mind about the potential motives".

A US freelance journalist has been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, and one of the suspects is linked to an Iran-backed militia, Iraqi and US officials say.

Shelly Kittleson was abducted on Tuesday evening, said Al-Monitor, a news outlet for which she has contributed articles.

The Iraqi interior ministry said security forces had chased the reporter's abductors in a pursuit that resulted in one of the kidnappers' cars overturning and the arrest of one suspect.

A US state department official said an individual with ties to an Iranian-aligned militia group, Kataib Hezbollah, was detained by Iraqi authorities.

Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, confirmed the abduction of an American journalist, without naming Kittleson.

He posted on X: "The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible."

It is understood that US officials had contacted Kittleson a number of times to warn of threats against her, including as late as Monday night.

The US state department said in a statement to the BBC: "Due to privacy and other considerations, we have nothing further to share at this time."

Al-Monitor, which is based in the US, said local news reports indicate Kittleson was taken near a hotel in the heart of the capital.

It added that the state department had confirmed it "is aware of Kittleson's kidnapping and working with the Iraqi government to secure her release".

Al-Monitor said it was "deeply alarmed" by her kidnapping, and called "for her safe and immediate release".

An Iraqi official confirmed to the BBC's US partner CBS that local authorities were working "at the highest level" to release Kittleson.

Kittleson's emergency contact Alex Plitsas, a CNN national security analyst, told CBS that Kittleson had been warned by the US government about a specific threat to her from Iran-backed paramilitaries.

Kataib Hezbollah was said to be plotting to kidnap or kill female journalists.

Plitsas said Kittleson had been warned that her name was on a list in Kataib Hezbollah's possession. A second source confirmed she had been told of a risk, but thought it was false information.

The interior ministry statement said in a statement translated from Arabic: "Security forces immediately launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrators, acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations, tracking the kidnappers' movements."

It added: "The pursuit resulted in the interception of a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers, which overturned as they attempted to escape."

The interior ministry did not identify the suspect, calling the abductors "unknown individuals".

"The Ministry affirms that efforts are ongoing to track down the remaining perpetrators and secure the release of the abducted woman, and to take due legal action against all those involved in this criminal act, in accordance with the law," it added.

Kittleson, based in Rome, Italy, has covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. According to her bio on social media, she has worked for numerous publications.

The FBI, National Security Council, state department, Delta Force and the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service were in contact about her abduction, sources familiar told CBS.

Baghdad was once notorious for kidnappings, but abductions have decreased as the security situation in Iraq has improved in recent years.

A US judge has temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom construction project from continuing, ruling that proper procedures were not followed before the building project began.

The ruling comes after the White House was sued by The National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"I have concluded that the National Trust is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have," said Judge Richard Leon, who was appointed by a Republican president.

Trump has criticised the ruling on his social media site, saying that the project is going well, and "will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World".

The Trump administration has previously said its plan was more economical than renovating the East Wing. It also noted that many presidents had made changes to the White House

Leon's ruling, published on Tuesday, continued: "The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!"

"(U)nless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!" he added.

The judge's ruling takes effect in 14 days, allowing a possible appeal.

In the lawsuit, the preservation group argued that the White House broke the law by beginning construction without filing plans with the National Capital Planning Commission, by not seeking an environmental assessment of the project, and by declining to seek authorisation from Congress.

It also alleged Trump was violating the US Constitution, "which reserves to Congress the right to dispose of and make all rules regarding property belonging to the United States".

The East Wing, which was constructed in 1902, was demolished in October to make way for Trump's multi-million dollar ballroom, which he says is being paid for by private donors.

Since then, the proposed blueprint has expanded from a ballroom with a capacity of 500 people to a space that can fit 1,350 guests.

The White House says the project is expected to cost $400m (£302m) and is being funded entirely by private donors.

Reacting to the judge's decision, Trump wrote on his Truth Social site: "The National Trust for Historic Preservation sues me for a Ballroom that is under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World."

He also criticised the group that brought the lawsuit, noting that they had also sued to stop his renovation of the Kennedy Center, which Trump recently renamed after himself.

"All I am doing is fixing, cleaning, running, and 'sprucing up' a terribly maintained, for many years, Building," Trump wrote about the concert venue in Washington DC.

In his post, Trump also said of the legal action against him: "Doesn't make much sense, does it?"

Israel's defence minister has said a buffer zone will be set up inside southern Lebanon and that Israel will keep security control over a swathe of the territory even after the end of the current war against the armed group Hezbollah.

Israel Katz said the area to be occupied would go up to the Litani River in southern Lebanon - about 30km (18.6 miles) from the border with Israel.

He also said all houses in Lebanese villages near the Israeli border would be demolished.

Israel sent ground troops into southern Lebanon on 2 March and has also been launching broad strikes across the country.

The action was taken after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for Israel's assassination of Iran's supreme leader in late February, at the start of the war with Iran.

Israel was also carrying out near-daily strikes on Hezbollah before that despite a ceasefire that was agreed in 2024.

Since early March, at least 1,238 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry, including at least 124 children. The UN's humanitarian affairs office says 52 health workers have also been killed.

In the same period, 10 Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks, Israeli authorities say.

Others killed in the south in recent days include three Indonesian peacekeepers, and three Lebanese journalists, according to the UN and the Lebanese health ministry.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it killed two of the journalists, describing them as "terrorists" without providing evidence to back up its claims. It also said it was aware of reports a female journalist was killed.

It has not yet been established who killed the peacekeepers.

More than a million people - roughly one in every six in the country - have also been displaced, worsening an existing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.

Israeli officials say the aim is to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.

Speaking in a video statement published by the defence ministry on Tuesday, Katz gave further details on Israel's military intentions in southern Lebanon.

"At the end of the operation, the IDF will establish itself in a security zone inside Lebanon, on a defensive line against anti-tank missiles, and will maintain security control over the entire area up to the Litani."

"In addition, the return of more than 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will be completely prohibited south of the Litani until the safety and security of northern residents are ensured," he added.

"All houses in villages near the border in Lebanon will be destroyed - according to the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza - to remove, once and for all, the threats near the border to northern residents," he said.

Katz had already announced the intention to create a buffer zone in the south of Lebanon earlier in the month. He had also already said displaced residents would not be allowed back until northern Israel was safe and that houses would be demolished.

But his latest statement goes a step further than his last, as he said Israeli troops would stay in the region after Israel's war with Hezbollah ends.

Southern Lebanon is the heartland of Lebanon's Shia Muslim community, Hezbollah's main support base. But it is also home to other communities, including Christians.

The latest Israeli ground invasion has already caused widespread alarm among the Lebanese.

Under the ceasefire agreement that ended the war in 2024, Hezbollah was meant to disarm and leave its positions in the south. This was to be supervised by the Lebanese government and army.

Progress was made, but it was partial. Israel also maintained several military posts in the south and continued to carry out regular attacks on what it said were Hezbollah targets.

The will may have been there for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, but it has always lacked the ability to do so. The prospect of a major confrontation between the Lebanese state and Hezbollah has also long been a major concern, reawakening fears of a descent back into civil war.

Katz previously said that Israel was taking action because the Lebanese government had done "nothing".

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has described the Israeli plans as a "collective punishment against civilians", and that they could be part of "suspicious schemes" to pursue an expansion of Israel's presence in Lebanese territory.

State visits can be uncomfortable, joyful, tense and unifying - in the space of just a few days.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla's visit to the United States next month is likely to be all these.

Planning the trip has taken months, with decisions about dates and locations being made by Buckingham Palace, the Foreign Office, the Trump administration and the UK Embassy in Washington with its new ambassador, Sir Christian Turner. They are not easy things to get right, as there are many stakeholders with a viewpoint.

But the dates and places have not been the biggest problem - the mood of the transatlantic alliance has been the dominant issue.

That special relationship isn't feeling that special right now.

The King is being deployed to the US between 27 and 30 April to sprinkle some royal magic over a president who is a monarchist and appears to soften in front of pomp and ceremony.

And the King will have some heavy lifting to do to make President Donald Trump look more warmly on the UK and its government.

The problem is that royal overseas tours can be exposing. They exist against the backdrop of whatever problem or crisis is engulfing the royal family or government back at home.

State visits are not an escape from problems, they often highlight them. It means that this visit is happening against a heap of background noise.

Front and centre is the fact that the King and Queen will be visiting a president currently leading a difficult and controversial offensive against Iran.

This is a visit to a president at war and one who is happy to lash out at those he feels aren't supporting him.

On a personal level, President Trump's tone will not have pleased the King. On a professional level, as a constitutional monarch, it is not his job to judge but to support the UK government.

And the government wants the King in America to steady a bumpy friendship.

Next up, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, who is now a central issue for the royal family.

The King and Queen will spend time in Washington DC at the White House. But just a mile and a half up the road stands the US Congress, where several lawmakers want the King's younger brother to give evidence about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

This is a deeply uncomfortable part of the visit.

Buckingham Palace has made no official comment since the former Duke of York's arrest in February. While the legal process continues, that position will not change.

Then enter the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their two children.

The King will be on a different coast but will be in the same country where his son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan now live. The King has only met his granddaughter, Lilibet, once.

There was speculation there could be scope for a family reunion Stateside. But the King is not expected to meet the Duke of Sussex, during his stay, the BBC understands.

The US marks its 250th anniversary of independence this year - and that will be a significant focus of the trip, with Buckingham Palace saying the trip will "celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship" between the countries.

It is also expected that King Charles will deliver an address to Congress.

It is important to remember that royal visits have regularly taken place when the political mood is turbulent.

In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II visited President Dwight Eisenhower in the aftermath of the damaging Suez Crisis. Her job was to help mend fractured UK-US relations.

Now her son is being asked to do his own bit of royal diplomacy in the shadow of another international conflict.

The late Queen was also in the US in 1976 to mark 200 years of American Independence in a country still reeling after the political fall-out of the Watergate scandal and the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

The visit aimed to lighten the mood.

The state dinner in Washington DC had a very 1970s feel. The menu included a peach ice cream bombe. The entertainment was provided by comedian Bob Hope and actor, Telly Savalas, best known for playing the lollipop-loving, TV detective, Kojak.

The music came from husband and wife duo, Captain and Tennille.

In 2026, the menu and guest list will look different but the Queen's message back then will resonate this time around too.

"Mr President," the Queen told Gerald Ford at the State Banquet, "we live in times of uncertainty… we must never lose sight of our basic values, nor underrate the worth of what we know to be certain."

Fifty years later, her son will find himself carrying a similar message on his first state visit to the US as King.

Soft royal diplomacy continues even in the most turbulent of times.

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Billionaire hedge fund owner Chris Rokos is to donate £190m to the University of Cambridge.

The university said this will be "the largest single donation made to a British university in modern times".

The money will be used to create a school of government in Cambridge named after him, with the aim of training leaders of the future.

Rokos said he wanted to "give something back" to the UK with the donation.

Rokos will provide an initial £130m in funding to the university, plus an extra £60m that will be matched by the university to create what will be known as the Rokos School of Government.

Rokos is a 55-year-old British investor and philanthropist who lives in the UK and founded global multi-asset investment fund Rokos Capital Management.

According to The Sunday Times Rich List, he's worth an estimated £2.6 billion. He's also one of the UK's biggest tax payers, according to the paper's annual tax list.

He won a scholarship to Eton College after attending a state primary school, and studied mathematics at Pembroke College, Oxford.

Speaking about his donation, Rokos said: "I was fortunate to be given the opportunity of an education which transformed my life, and I would like to give something back to Britain. My hope is that, in time, the influence of the Rokos School of Government across the world becomes an important element of that soft power which has been a great asset to the UK."

He said the discussions to create this new institution began several years ago, with Dr Elisabeth Kendall, who is the President of Girton College, and was friends with Rokos when they were undergraduates together in Oxford.

He said detailed conversations between them led to a shared recognition of the need to prepare leaders of the future to be able to face new challenges.

"It was becoming clear that the world was changing in new and different ways, and that the processes of government needed to adapt accordingly. For me, there can be no better home for the Rokos School of Government than Cambridge University with its long tradition of scientific innovation and synergistic culture", he added.

The new Rokos School of Government is to be built on undeveloped land in the Cambridge West Innovation District, close to the university's science and technology departments.

It is due to begin operations from this autumn, using temporary facilities initially, before a new building is designed and completed.

It will take on PhD and Masters students, as well as establishing a faculty including political scientists, economists and statisticians, as well as experts from the world of business and government.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Prof Deborah Prentice, welcomed the donation.

"Thanks to Chris' generous support, the Rokos School of Government will become a place where leaders and governments – both current and future – together with experts from across our institution generate the insights and solutions needed to respond to our rapidly changing world", she said.

The previous largest donation to the university was in 2019, when American billionaire Stephen Schwarzman donated £185m to Oxford University. That was used to create the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities.

The Times Higher Education website claimed recently that philanthropy to elite UK universities is in decline. It found donations to Russell Group institutions had peaked at just over £650m in 2023/24, and since declined to around £546 million last year.

It's been a bitter 10-week showdown, which revealed just how angry Prince Harry still is with the press. It involved a witness switching sides, repeated arguments with the judge and tears.

Harry was joined in court by model Elizabeth Hurley, actor Sadie Frost, Sir Elton John and the singer's husband David Furnish, as well as campaigner Baroness Lawrence and Sir Simon Hughes, the former Liberal Democrat MP.

Together, they sued Associated Newspapers Limited over claims it misused their private information. After so many other hacking trials, what did we learn from this one?

This was a bitter court battle

This has been the toughest newspaper court battle yet, and if the key allegations in the case are true, they will shred the reputation of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

The claims are that the papers' journalists knowingly commissioned shadowy figures to tap phones, hack computers, listen to voicemail and blag or pay for private information. These are criminal offences, so the stakes are high.

Associated Newspapers, the owners of the two papers, flatly denies acting unlawfully.

When the Duke of Sussex embarked on his last legal campaigns, against Mirror Group Newspapers and Rupert Murdoch's News Group, there was already plenty of evidence of media malpractice.

But the judge in this case, Mr Justice Nicklin, wanted a manageable trial. In contrast to previous cases, he decided the seven claimants could not just be able to reheat evidence previously uncovered, or make general accusations against the newspapers.

Instead, they would have to present facts that proved specific stories were the result of what became known as "unlawful information gathering", and that Mail journalists knew it was going on.

This made the claim much harder for Prince Harry and his team.

To the obvious fury of the judge, the prince's stubborn barrister David Sherborne often tested the boundaries of that decision. They repeatedly argued, with raised voices, in front of a watching court.

The seven claimants remain furious

The claimants gave often emotional evidence.

Prince Harry flew in to give evidence in person, spending two hours in the witness box. He accused the two newspapers of subjecting him to "an endless pursuit, a campaign, an obsession with having every aspect of my life under surveillance so they could get the run on their competitors".

His anger plain to see, he had to be reminded to answer questions, not try to make his case.

Hurley was reduced to tears after describing the effect of the reporting of the paternity row about her son with the American businessman Steve Bing.

It was clear the claimants did not accept that the details of their private life were a legitimate subject for the Mail newspapers.

A private investigator dramatically switched sides

Prince Harry's legal team says private investigator Gavin Burrows signed a statement in 2021 confirming he carried out some of the most serious wrong-doing alleged against the Mail newspapers.

But in 2022, he had an argument with a journalist who had been helping to gather evidence against the Mail newspapers. At that point, Burrows turned on Prince Harry's team.

The signature on his main witness statement had been forged, he said. Sherborne was then forced to treat Burrows as a witness who was hostile to their claim, rather than one who supported it.

Jerry Yanover, an ex-police officer sacked for misconduct in public office, told the court he had done unlawful work for Burrows, whom he said had boasted about being commissioned by the Mail.

But the judge may still throw out Burrows' evidence.

More than once he asked Sherborne to explain what would happen to his case "when you remove Burrows?"

Anthony White KC, who represented Associated in court, said many of the most damaging allegations would no longer be sustainable.

Associated Newspapers paid a network of people for information

Weeks of evidence presented to the court showed how the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday paid large sums to a network of information providers to help journalists write stories.

Freelancers provided tips and information. A South Africa-based reporter got the airline travel details for trips taken by Prince Harry and his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

An experienced UK freelancer sourced stories about Sadie Frost's troubled relationship with Jude Law. The claimants said they used unlawful methods.

The publisher insisted they simply had great sources.

Payment records suggest the newspapers used up to 14 private investigators to obtain information. Hampshire-based Steve Whittamore was one, contacting journalists from the email address blag2049@hotmail.com. In a statement he said his contacts got criminal records from the Police National Computer and driver details from the DVLA. Others, he said, were blaggers who convinced phone companies to send them call and billing information.

Associated has already admitted commissioning private investigators (PIs), including Whittamore. Mail journalists giving evidence said they believed PIs had access to legitimate databases allowing them to get public information more quickly, in an era when less was available online. They helped confirm the accuracy of stories, and track down celebrities for a response. Dacre banned their use in 2007 after several were convicted of data protection offences.

Anthony White KC, who represented Associated, pointed out that a string of experienced journalists were willing to come to court to defend their reputations.

This was a civil trial and they could have refused. He argued they would not have been there if they had been guilty of wrong-doing.

The best evidence came on paper, but was there enough?

White said Associated had searched 20,000 boxes of company paperwork looking for relevant evidence, as part of the court disclosure process. However, he said it found very little because the allegations dated back 25 years.

The claimants had a leaked "ledger" of Associated Newspaper payments, invoices from some private investigators and extracts from reporters notepads with cryptic handwritten details of payments to sources.

But often it was hard to prove money had been paid for specific pieces of unlawful information.

"It's a bit like playing pin the tail on the donkey with us being partly blindfolded and there being very little donkey left for us to pin the tail on," Sherborne complained.

Detailing the evidence he said proved each article had been unlawfully obtained, he often admitted there was no killer document. The judge would have to infer guilt from the fact that stories contained private information, and, he claimed, Mail journalists had a "propensity" to use unlawful methods.

But he hit a wall. Mr Justice Nicklin started to ask what the best single piece of evidence for each article was, and Sherborne was forced to say: "We are asking your lordship to extrapolate."

The judge later suggested that, instead of proving his case, Sherborne was trying to get the newspapers to bear the burden of showing how they sourced a story.

Journalists were forced to explain where stories came from

Newspaper reporters rarely have to account for their actions in public, yet this trial saw Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday veterans subjected to detailed cross-examination.

Katie Nicholl, the former Mail on Sunday Mail Royal Editor, and Rebecca English, the Daily Mail's current Royal Editor, were repeatedly asked where information about Prince Harry had come from. They said they, or their sources, were on the fringes of his social circle. And his friends talked.

Stephen Wright, the former Mail crime editor, led his paper's campaign to get justice for Stephen Lawrence and told the court he had been deeply affected by what he called "despicable" allegations that he commissioned unlawful techniques.

He was asked about his relationship with a corrupt police officer he said he kept "warm as a contact". He angrily denied paying the police for information, something that is a criminal offence.

For many of the journalists, their biggest problem was remembering the details of individual stories they had written - often one of thousands - more than a decade ago.

This case could be the last of its kind

It is now 20 years since the term "phone-hacking" entered the public consciousness, and 15 years since the News of the World closed - a tabloid marred by the scandal. Hundreds have been paid compensation for having their voicemails listened to.

The passing of time has made it harder for Prince Harry and his six co-claimants to prove their cases. There are time limits for bringing privacy claims which could still result in the judge rejecting some of the allegations against Associated Newspapers.

It is likely this difficult case will be the end of the road for the Duke of Sussex's campaign against the big newspaper groups. He is trying to rebuild his relationships within the Royal Family, and Buckingham Palace does not like litigation.

These days stars are more likely to reveal their own secrets on social media than have them revealed by a shadowy investigator. And this was a trial about stories printed in ink. Technology has changed everything.