Putin agreed to 'robust' security guarantees for Ukraine, US envoy says

4 hours ago Share Save Asya Robins and George Wright BBC News Share Save

Reuters

Donald Trump's special envoy said Russia had agreed to allow the US and Europe to give Ukraine "robust" security guarantees as part of a potential peace deal. Steve Witkoff told CNN it was agreed at the Alaska summit that the US and Europe could "effectively offer Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee", referring to Nato's principle that an attack on one member is an attack on all. Putin has long opposed Ukraine joining Nato, and Witkoff said the arrangement could be an alternative if the Ukrainians "can live with it". Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky described the US's security guarantee offer as "historic" ahead of talks with Trump and European leaders on Monday.

Speaking ahead of his visit to Washington DC, Zelensky said any guarantee "must really be very practical, delivering protection on land, in the air, and at sea, and must be developed with Europe's participation". Meanwhile, following a meeting on Sunday of the "coalition of the willing" - a group of nations including the UK, France and Germany that have pledged to protect peace in Ukraine once it is achieved - a No10 spokesman said leaders had commended Trump's "commitment" to providing security guarantees. The leaders also "re-emphasised the readiness to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased, and to help secure Ukraine's skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine's armed forces", the spokesman added. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte are set to join Zelensky in Washington on Monday. Macron said the group would challenge Trump on how far he was willing to go in terms of security guarantees. "If we're not strong today, we'll pay dearly tomorrow," he said, adding the group's plan was to "present a united front".

EPA

Witkoff also told CNN on Sunday that Russia had made "some concessions at the table" about territory, noting Donetsk would be part of an "important discussion" on Monday. It comes after Putin reportedly presented Trump with a peace offer in Alaska on Friday that would require Ukraine withdrawing from the Donetsk region of the Donbas, in return for Russia freezing the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The BBC's US partner CBS cited diplomatic sources as saying that European officials were concerned Trump may try to press Zelensky to agree to the terms. Russia claims the Donbas as Russian territory, controlling most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk. It also illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky on Tuesday said Ukraine would reject any Russian proposal to give up the Donbas region, warning it could be used as a springboard for future attacks. He has also pointed to the country's constitution, which requires a referendum before a change in its territory.

Watch: How the Trump-Putin summit unfolded... in under 2 minutes

Monday's White House meeting will be Zelensky's first since an acrimonious public exchange in the Oval Office in February, when Trump told him to be more "thankful" for US support and accused him of "gambling with World War Three". Zelensky was then told to leave the White House. He appeared to reconcile with Trump in April, in what the White House described as a "very productive" 15-minute meeting before they attended Pope Francis's funeral. Ukraine has also signed a minerals deal that gave the US a financial stake in the country, and Kyiv made it clear they were willing to pay for US arms. But there will have been concern in Kyiv and other European capitals following the Trump-Putin meeting on Friday. The Russian president, who is facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, stepped off his jet and onto a red carpet to be warmly received by Trump, who later said they had a "fantastic relationship".

Resignation and betrayal: What handing Donbas to Putin would mean for Ukraine

5 hours ago Share Save Joel Gunter Reporting from Kyiv Share Save

Anadolu via Getty Images Life for those living close to the front lines in the Donbas region face a daily struggle for survival

Days before meeting Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Donald Trump referred to what he called "land swaps" as a condition for peace. For Ukrainians, it was a confusing turn of phrase. What land was to be swapped? Was Ukraine to be offered part of Russia, in exchange for the land Russia had taken by force? As Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to travel to Washington on Monday to meet Trump, there is likely no "swap" element to the US president's thinking. Instead, he is reportedly planning to press Zelensky to surrender the entirety of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in return for Russia freezing the rest of the front line – a proposal put forward by Putin in Alaska. Luhansk is already almost entirely under Russian control. But Ukraine is estimated to have held onto about 30% of Donetsk, including several key cities and fortifications, at a cost of tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives. Both regions – known together as Donbas – are rich in minerals and industry. To surrender them to Russia now would be a "tragedy", said the Ukrainian historian Yaroslav Hrytsak.

"This is Ukrainian territory," Mr Hrytsak said. "And the people of these regions – particularly the miners – played a huge role in the strengthening of the Ukrainian identity." The region had also produced "famous politicians, poets and dissidents", he said. "And now refugees who will not be able to return home if it becomes Russian." At least 1.5 million Ukrainians have fled the Donbas since Russian aggression began in 2014. More than three million are estimated to be living under Russian occupation. A further 300,000 are estimated to be in the parts where Ukraine still has control. In areas closest to the front line, life is already a dangerous struggle. Andriy Borylo, a 55-year-old military chaplain in the badly hit city of Sloviansk, said in a phone interview that shells had landed next to his house over the weekend. "It is a very difficult situation here," he said. "There is a feeling of resignation and abandonment. I don't know how much we have the strength to endure. Someone has to protect us. But who?" Mr Borylo had been following the news from Alaska, he said. "I put this on Trump, not Zelensky. But they are taking everything from me, and it is a betrayal." Zelensky has consistently said Ukraine would not hand over the Donbas in exchange for peace. And confidence in Russia to abide by any such arrangement – rather than simply use the annexed land for future attacks – is low. For that and other reasons, about 75% of Ukrainians object to any formal cessation of land to Russia, according to polling by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

Getty Images Ukraine is estimated to have held onto about 30% of the Donetsk region, including several key cities and fortifications

But Ukraine is also deeply fatigued by war. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed and wounded since the full-scale invasion began. People are craving an end to suffering, particularly in the Donbas. "You ask about the surrender of the Donetsk region, well, I measure this war not in kilometres but in human lives," said Yevhen Tkachov, 56, an emergency rescue worker in the Donetsk city of Kramatorsk. "I'm not ready to give tens of thousands of lives for several thousand square kilometres," he said. "Life is more important than territory." For some, this is what it comes down to in the end. Land versus life. It leaves President Zelensky "at a crossroads with no good route in front of him", said Volodmyr Ariev, a Ukrainian MP from the opposition European Solidarity party. "We don't have enough forces to continue the war for an unlimited time," Ariev said. "But if Zelensky were to concede this land it would be not only a breakdown of our constitution, it could have the hallmarks of treason." And yet, it is not clear in Ukraine by what mechanism such an agreement could even be reached. Any formal handover of the nation's territory requires the approval of the parliament and a referendum of the people. More likely would be a de-facto surrender of control, with no formal recognition of the territory as Russian. But even in that event, the process is not well understood, said Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun. "There is no real understanding as to what the procedure should be," she said. "Does the president simply sign the agreement? Does it have to be the government? The parliament? There is no legal procedure set up because, you know, the constitution writers didn't think about this." Things may become more clear after Zelensky speaks with Trump in Washington on Monday – the Ukrainian leader's first visit to the White House since a disastrous clash in the Oval Office in February. Amid the unhappiness left by the Alaska summit, there was one possible glimmer of good news for Ukraine. Trump appeared to reverse his position on security guarantees after the summit, suggesting he was ready to join Europe in offering Ukraine military protection from future Russian attacks.

Watch: How the Trump-Putin summit unfolded... in under 2 minutes

Huge crowds gather in Israel calling for hostage deal and end to Gaza war

1 hour ago Share Save Asya Robins BBC News Share Save

Getty Images "Hostages Square" on Sunday in Tel Aviv

Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Israel to call for an end to the Gaza war and a deal to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. The largest crowd was seen in Tel Aviv's "Hostages Square" on Sunday, with the organisers saying the government's plans to seize control of Gaza City risked the lives of around 20 hostages still being held by Hamas. A one-day national strike - part of wider protests - closed roads, offices and universities in some areas. Nearly 40 people were arrested during the day. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the protests, saying they would "harden Hamas's stance" and would only slow down the release of the hostages.

Watch: Protesters block Israeli road demanding hostage deal and war end

Far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich also denounced the protests, describing them as a "harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas". The national strike was demanded by the families of hostages and others opposed to the expansion of the war. Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan and a leading figure in the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, said the group demanded "a comprehensive and achievable agreement and an end to the war". "We demand what is rightfully ours - our children," she told the crowd in Tel Aviv. "The Israeli government has transformed a just war into a pointless war." She was speaking after a video was released of her son. "My heart burns with longing. My whole heart is scorched because of my Matan. Matan, I, an entire nation, we are doing everything we can for you, for all the hostages," she said. The protests came a week after Israel's war cabinet voted to occupy Gaza City, the territory's largest city, and displace its population, in a move condemned by the UN Security Council. Thousands of residents have since fled Gaza City's southern Zeitoun neighbourhood, where days of continuous Israeli bombardment have created a "catastrophic" situation, the city's Hamas-run municipality told the BBC.

Reuters Protesters filled main roads on the way to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv

At least 40 people were killed by Israeli attacks across the territory on Saturday, Gaza's civil defence agency said. Hamas said in a statement that Israeli forces had been carrying out a "sustained offensive in the eastern and southern neighbourhoods of Gaza City, particularly in Zeitoun". The Israeli military said it would begin allowing tents to be brought into Gaza by aid agencies again. "As part of the preparations to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection, the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume," the Israeli military body Cogat said.

Getty Images Protesters block a road in Tel Aviv

Actor Terence Stamp, who starred as Superman villain, dies aged 87

2 hours ago Share Save Jessica Rawnsley BBC News Share Save

Oscar-nominated actor Terence Stamp had a film career that spanned six decades

Terence Stamp, the English actor who played the arch-villain General Zod in the original Superman films, has died at the age of 87. In a career that spanned six decades, the Oscar-nominated actor starred in films including The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Far From the Madding Crowd and Valkyrie. Stamp died on Sunday morning, his family said in a statement to Reuters news agency. "He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and a writer that will continue to touch people for years to come," they said.

Bafta said it was "saddened" to hear of Stamp's death and highlighted his two Bafta nominations in 1963 and 1995. His Superman co-star Sarah Douglas described him as "beyond gorgeous and talented". "So saddened to learn that Terence has left us," she wrote on Instagram. "I learnt so very much from him. What a start to my career to have spent so many months in his company. "My love and heartfelt condolences to all who cared for him. What a loss." Born in Stepney, east London, to working-class parents on 22 July 1938, Stamp attended grammar school before pursuing a career in advertising. After securing a scholarship for drama school, he shot to fame in the 1960s, making his debut playing the titular role in Billy Budd, a 1962 film about a naive young seaman in the 18th century. His performance earnt him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor and a Golden Globe for best newcomer. He went on to make a name for himself as a villain, with stand-out performances in Superman and Superman II as General Zod, kidnapper Freddie Clegg in The Collector, and Sergeant Troy in Far From the Madding Crowd. During his heyday in the 1960s, Stamp was known for his good looks, fashion sense and high-profile girlfriends, including actress Julie Christie - who he later starred alongside in Far From the Madding Crowd - and supermodel Jean Shrimpton. His relationship with Christie only lasted a year but was immortalised by the Kinks in the song Waterloo Sunset with the line "Terry meets Julie", believed to reference the pair.

Getty Images Stamp with Jean Shrimpton at the British premiere of The Collector in 1965

Stamp was approached to replace Sean Connery when he relinquished his role as James Bond, but said his radical ideas about how he could interpret the character put off producer Harry Saltzman. "I think my ideas about it put the frighteners on Harry," he said. "I didn't get a second call from him." He spent some time in Italy, working with directors Pier Paolo Pasolini and Federico Fellini, but found his star had faded when he returned to London at the end of the 1960s. "When the 1960s ended, I think because I'd been so identified with it, I kind of ended as well," he later told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. "I thought if I could be good looking, and I could be successful and I could be famous, everything would be solved. And when it all kind of came to an end, I thought to myself there's been a lot of fun but there hasn't been any real, deep internal satisfaction." He moved away from acting for a while, buying a round-the-world ticket and ending up in India where he studied yoga and spent time living in a spiritual retreat. Despite describing the decision as "epic", Stamp admitted he was "distraught". "I never imagined this would happen," he told Desert Island Discs. "I always thought after six months or so some great part would come up and nothing did."

The Green Party is at a crossroads. Is it time they get angry?

15 minutes ago Share Save Helen Catt Political correspondent Share Save

BBC

Warning: This article contains strong language The video opens with some white cliffs and a politician standing on a beach. This isn't Dover, and it's not Nigel Farage (although the echoes with Reform UK are deliberate). Rather, it's a campaign video for the Green Party's leadership hopeful, Zack Polanski. Amid slick filming and a moody orchestral soundtrack, he delivers an animated and uncompromising message. Small boats, he declares, are an "obsession that has gripped the country," blamed for a "crumbling" NHS and "obscene" rents, while people are told there's no money left. "Well," he says, looking into the camera, "I call bullshit." The real problem, he continues, are the "super-rich and their yachts".

Zack Polanski Zack Polanski, a former actor who is the party's deputy leader, has turbo-charged the race

The Green Party is on the brink of choosing its new leader. It usually does it once every two years and the contest can go fairly unnoticed. Not this year. Polanski, a former actor who is the party's deputy leader, has turbo-charged the race, the result of which will be announced on 2 September. He calls his approach "eco-populism" and says it's about being "bolder" and more clearly anti-elite in communicating social and economic issues, as well as environmental ones. This, he argues, is the style of messaging that the Green party needs to embrace. He wants to "connect with people's anger" and then offer solutions, something the Greens are, in his view, often "too nice" to do. He worries it leaves them looking "out of touch". "I think far too often in the past we've equivocated or we've been too worried to challenge wealth and power in as blunt a way as possible. This isn't about shouting, it isn't about being louder, it's about being more effective."

Tried and tested vs a radical approach

The Greens had record success at the General Election last summer, going from one to four seats in Parliament and overturning large Labour and Conservative majorities. Together with the Scottish Greens and the Green Party of Northern Ireland, they won 6.7% of the vote. Now, the party is at a crossroads: does it stick with what it knows has worked or pick something more radical? And, given the candidates don't really differ on policy, just how big a difference could new leadership make to the party's national chances?

Polanski, who is a member of the London Assembly, wants the Greens to replace Labour as the "party of the left". But his opponents, the current co-leader Adrian Ramsay and new MP Ellie Chowns, who are running on a joint-ticket, believe Polanski would explode a winning formula that has brought them their greatest ever electoral success. Ramsay and Chowns were elected to Parliament in last year's general election. Their style is, mostly, less combative - they believe it's important that the Greens have broad appeal and that the party is seen to be at the heart of Westminster if it wants to bring about change.

Ellie and Adrian 2025/PA Wire The current co-leader Adrian Ramsay and new MP Ellie Chowns are running on a joint-ticket

Chowns says many voters already have a "generalised warm feeling" towards the Greens, they just need convincing they're a credible option. "It's really the difference between populism and popularity," she says. "What they need to know is that if they put their vote in the Green box on the ballot paper that's got a really, really good chance of electing somebody."

Time to capitalise on discontent?

Plenty of analysts, and Green party members themselves, have questioned why the party hasn't already capitalised more on left-wing discontent with Labour, or why it hasn't pitched itself more effectively as an alternative to the traditional parties, in the way Reform UK has. Matt Zarb-Cousin, a former spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn who joined the Greens in 2022, is a founding member of Greens Organise, a group that wants the party to take a more socialist stance. He argues that it is "inexcusable" that the party hasn't made a breakthrough in the polls since the election. Like Polanski, he believes that voters understand the party's environmental credentials and so it needs to highlight its policies on the cost of living, inequality and taxing wealth over work. "It's not just about saying we support those things, it's about how you frame that argument: who are the enemies? Whose side are you on?"

Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Ramsay and Chowns have secured endorsement from the former Green MP Caroline Lucas

Former Green party councillor Rupert Read, who is an environmental philosopher and a co-director of the campaign group Climate Majority Project, says a lot of Green party policy is left-wing, but adds that this is often the result of "making green policies that work for ordinary people". "You need to come from a starting point that is not dogmatically and self-avowedly left. If you do there'll be a strict ceiling on the level of support which is possible." Ramsay and Chowns make a similar argument. Ramsay says that Polanski is "about appealing to a narrow base of activists," which he and Chowns argue isn't enough to win in the UK's first past the past electoral system.

Chowns also believes that Polanski's approach is too similar to strategies that have failed in the past. "We spent years as the Green party engaging in the sort of politics where we stood on street corners and told people why we were very passionate about things... "It's all well and good but it's not the way to win people over."

Return of the 'Green surge'?

The Green Peer Baroness Bennett, who led the party between 2012 and 2016, said there had been "a level of excitement and interest around this leadership election more than I've ever seen before by a very large scale". It is reporting a "significant increase" in members in the past few months, although it won't yet give an exact figure. (The cut-off date to join and be able to vote in the leadership contest was July 31.) Baroness Bennett also points to "organic growth in the grassroots" since the general election. The party has held 12 seats in council by-elections since 4 July 2024, and won another 14 - mostly at the expense of Labour, while losing four to the Conservatives. This all marks a significant change from the past - the so-called "Green Surge" in 2015, under Baroness Bennett's leadership, saw the party's membership and vote share grow but still only returned Caroline Lucas to Parliament.

Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns with Sian Berry and current co-leader Carla Denyer (second left)

Prof Neil Carter from the University of York, a long-time observer of environmental politics, says he can see an argument for following Polanski's strategy, as the Greens have traditionally had the greatest success with "metropolitan, liberal-minded, young, professionals". The sort of voters who are key to Chowns and Ramsay's approach could be harder to win over, he argues. "The trouble is you can reach out to a sort of middle-class Tory rural voter to some extent, if you just talk Green, but as soon as you start to talk about all of those other issues that the Greens like to talk about, you're going to alienate those voters." But Chowns, who, like Ramsay, won a formerly Conservative seat, says that's not her experience. "People across the political spectrum find a lot to like in what we stand for."

Attracting 'anti-system' voters

Getting noticed is often a struggle for smaller political parties. For that reason, Luke Tryl, who is UK director of the political research organisation More in Common, believes that Polanski's approach might be the Greens' quickest route to boosting its numbers. "If you are trying to get 10 to 15%, it's probably what gets you noticed." But he argues it would net the party far fewer seats than the 40 that Polanski believes he can win.

Mark Kerrison via Getty Images Polanski calls his approach "eco-populism" and says it's about being "bolder"

He says that the party is rarely brought up in the focus groups which he runs outside of Green areas and that a charismatic leader could help the party cut through. There is a segment of the population that is "anti-system", he says, to whom a more radical pitch from the Greens might appeal. Mr Tryl, however, believes that while eco-populism could be a good way of getting known, the Greens would then need to "moderate" to become a "genuine mass movement party with potential for power". On getting into government, he says: "The Adrian and Ellie approach is right because you need to win over more of the North Herefordshires and Waveney Valleys (Chowns' and Ramsay's seats) and actually places like the Isle of Wight - but they are a long way from that".

Where Corbyn's new party fits in

There is another challenge facing all candidates: the new party that will soon be launched by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, a former Labour MP. Both Prof Carter and Mr Tryl warn that Polanski's strategy could be crowded out by this new party that has yet to be named but which, according to Corbyn, had 600,000 people sign up by early August.

Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire A new party is set to be launched by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, a former Labour MP

Ramsay goes further. He believes the new Corbyn party would blow Polanski's pitch "out of the water". Research carried out in June by More in Common suggested that the establishment of a Corbyn led-party could cut the Green's nationwide vote share from 9% to 5%. (This did not take into account who would be leading the Greens). Polanski has signalled he would be willing to co-operate with a possible Corbyn-led project and believes the Greens' position as an already established party will mean he can succeed. It is Ramsay and Chowns who have secured what could be considered the "OG" of Green endorsements: the former MP Caroline Lucas. The strategy they propose sticking with is based on the one she used to get elected as the first ever Green MP in 2010, and focuses on intensive local campaigning.

The question of who to target

Both leadership pitches include carrying on with local targeting but Polanski believes it can't be scaled up sufficiently to get large numbers of seats on its own. Chowns dismisses this idea: "My vision at the next general election is that we will have multiple large numbers of target seats and definitely more than one in every region."

Dan Kitwood / Cameron Smith, Getty During the election period, the Green Party raised just £160,000 compared with more than £1.6m for Reform UK

With either approach, the Greens face other obstacles, such as funding. The party's principle of not being funded by large donors means they lack the financial resources of other political parties. During the election period, the party raised just £160,000, compared with more than £1.6m for both Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats, and £9.5m by Labour. The Green leader has also little direct control over policy, as it is set by the members - not that there is much difference between the candidates. Polanski has gone further than current party policy by suggesting the UK should leave Nato, but there are only a few differences between the candidates' public positions.

Dan Kitwood /Getty Images All three candidates back a wealth tax, which has been the Greens' major campaigning issue for several years

Ultimately, whoever is chosen to lead the party this time will likely face re-election again before the next general election. The political landscape may have changed further but there is certainly an opportunity for the Greens if they land on the right strategy. As Mr Tryl puts it, "In the age of very fragmented multi party politics, small vote shares can deliver outsized results". Top picture credit: Dan Kitwood / Leon Neal via Getty

Zelensky and allies head to White House for Ukraine talks

9 minutes ago Share Save Jude Sheerin BBC News, Washington Share Save

Watch: How the Trump-Putin summit unfolded... in under 2 minutes

US President Donald Trump will host Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday for their first meeting since the pair's heated exchange in the White House - but this time the Ukrainian president is bringing European allies. Secretary general of Nato Mark Rutte and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are among the leaders who will join Zelensky in Washington for efforts to end the war with Russia. It follows Trump's summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska that ended with the US president dropping a demand for a ceasefire and calling instead for a permanent peace deal. A US envoy said on Sunday that Putin had agreed to security guarantees that could lead to a Nato-like security pact for Ukraine.

"BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating. Also heading to Washington for Monday's meeting are French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It is unclear how many of them will go to the White House. What handing Donbas to Putin would mean for Ukraine

In maps: War-ravaged Ukrainian territories For so many heads of state to travel with such little notice across the Atlantic to what is essentially a wartime crisis meeting appears without precedent in the modern era, underscoring the sky-high stakes. Diplomatic sources say European officials are concerned that Trump may try to press Zelensky to agree to terms, after the Ukrainian leader was excluded from the Trump-Putin meeting on US soil last Friday. But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the BBC's US partner CBS that any suggestion Zelensky might be bullied by Trump into accepting a peace deal was a "stupid media narrative".

Watch in full: The remarkable exchange between Zelensky, Vance and Trump

Nato leaders also appear eager to avoid a repeat of Zelensky's February trip to the Oval Office that ended abruptly after an argument with Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance. The altercation - which saw Trump accuse Zelensky of "gambling with World War Three" - left Washington-Kyiv ties in tatters. But European leaders have been working diligently behind the scenes since then to mend the relationship. The Ukrainian leader has been coached to talk in terms of deal-making - language that resonates with Trump. In April, Ukraine signed a minerals agreement that gave the US a financial stake in the country, and Trump and Zelensky spoke privately at the Vatican before Pope Francis's funeral. Ukraine made it clear it was willing to pay for US weapons. By July, the two leaders had a phone call that the Ukrainian president described as "the best conversation we have had". Meanwhile, Trump had begun to express exasperation with Russia's unrelenting onslaught in Ukraine. He called Putin "absolutely crazy", drastically shortened his deadline for a peace deal, and threatened economic sanctions on Moscow. As these deliberations grind on, Russian forces continue to advance on the battlefield. They now occupy almost a fifth of Ukraine since Moscow launched its full scale invasion in February 2022.

EPA Zelensky joined a virtual summit on Sunday with Nato and European leaders

Washington talks could prove more vital for Ukraine's future than Trump-Putin summit

19 minutes ago Share Save Frank Gardner BBC Security Correspondent Share Save

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It is quite possible that Monday's meeting in the White House could prove even more crucial to the future of Ukraine - and for all of Europe's security - than last Friday's US-Russia summit in Alaska. On the surface, that Putin-Trump reunion seemed to live down to every expectation. There was no ceasefire, no sanctions, no grand announcements. Were Ukraine and Europe about to get cut out of a deal cooked up behind closed doors by the world's two foremost nuclear powers? Not, apparently, if Ukraine and its partners can prevent it.

The presence of Sir Keir Starmer, President Macron, Chancellor Merz and other leaders alongside President Zelensky in Washington is about more than making sure he does not get ambushed in the Oval Office again, in the way he did on 28 February. They are determined to impress upon Donald Trump two things: firstly, that there can be no peace deal for Ukraine without Ukraine's direct involvement and secondly, that it must be backed by 'cast-iron' security guarantees. Above all, Europe's leaders want the US President to see that Ukraine and Europe present a united front and they are eager to ensure he is not being swayed by his obvious personal rapport with Vladimir Putin into giving in to the Russian leaders' demands.

Watch: How the Trump-Putin summit unfolded... in under 2 minutes

This is where the Sir Keir Starmer's diplomatic skills will be sorely tested. Trump likes Starmer and listens to him, and in a month's time Trump will be coming to the UK on a state visit. He also likes Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary-General who will be in attendance, a man who is sometimes called 'the Trump Whisperer'. The US President appears to be less fond of President Macron and the White House was sharply critical recently of his intention to unconditionally recognise a Palestinian state at the next UN General Assembly. For a peace deal in Ukraine to have any chance of working, something has to give. European leaders have said frequently that international borders cannot be changed by force and President Zelensky has said time and time again he will not give up land and besides, Ukraine's constitution forbids it. But Putin wants the Donbas, which his forces already control around 85 per cent of, and he has absolutely no intention of ever handing back Crimea. Yet as the former Estonian PM and now Europe's top diplomat Kaja Kallas once said to me: victory for Ukraine in this war does not have to be exclusively about reconquering occupied land. If Ukraine can obtain the sort of Article 5-type security guarantees now being talked about, sufficient to deter any future Russian aggression and thereby safeguard its independence as a free and sovereign state, then that would be a form of victory.

It does now appear that what the US and Russia have been discussing is a proposal that broadly trades some Ukrainian land for security guarantees that it won't have to give up any more to Russia. But the question marks are huge. Could Ukraine accept a deal that ends the war but costs it land, especially when so many thousands have died trying to save that land? If it is asked to give up the remaining 30 per cent of Donetsk Oblast that Russia has yet to occupy then does that leave the path westwards to Kyiv dangerously under-defended?

'D-Day at White House' and 'Superman star' dies aged 85

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It's "D-Day at the White House", says the Daily Mail, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and EU leaders prepare to meet US President Donald Trump. But "will he listen to a single word they say," it poses. The death at 86 of superman star Terrance Stamp also features.

The UK and EU are "at Zelensky's side for talks with Trump", reads the Guardian headline. It "seems designed to prevent a repeat of Zelensky's pubic mauling during his last trip", it adds. On the Middle East, the paper reports that Israel's army is preparing "to force one million people out of Gaza City". A striking black-and-white portrait of Mr Stamp dominates the right hand side.

"Europe tells Trump: Don't give in to Putin", reports The Daily Telegraph. To the right, a shot of French President on holiday in France, atop a hydrofoil. In other news, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps are using a leaked Ministry of Defence "kill list" provided by the Taliban to hunt British spies, the paper says.

The headline for the Times this morning is "Zelensky wants security guarantees before a deal". It features reporting of "intense" fighting on the ground in Donets, as both Russia and Ukraine "race to secure territory". Peeking out from the bottom strap, a story on golden eagles possibly returning to England after more than 150 years.

The leaders' talks in Washington also leads the Financial Times. Zelensky and Ukraine's European allies "seek security guarantees", it says, after Putin "demanded that Kyiv should concede land in order to reach a truce". Also featured is a report that the UK has produced enough electricity to power more than five million homes for a year through solar power alone.

"Europe takes a stand" is the headline on the Mirror, alongside a picture of Sir Keir and Zelensky embracing at the entrance to 10 Downing Street. "Super star" Mr Stamp also makes the front.

The Metro splashes with a black and white photo of train tickets, calling a reported rail fare rise "outrageous". Industry experts it cites say prices will go up another 5.5% next year.

Students face annual tuition hikes "to bail out struggling universities", the i reports. Another £250 rise is possible next year as part of ministers' plans to use automatic increases in line with inflation. Meanwhile, "vice-chancellors warn several universities will go bust without boost to income".

"And it's off", reads the Daily Star's headline as horse racing strikes begin ahead of the "chancellor's hated bet tax". All meets have been "axed for a day in protest at the tax hike betting plans of Rachel Reeves". The Star also touches on "Terence tributes".

The Daily Express spotlights "Britain's 10 million junk food addicts" as some experts vie for the World Health Organization (WHO) to include food addiction as a form of substance abuse. Dr Jen Unwin, the organiser of a gathering of medics and academics in London to discuss the issue, has called it a "health disaster".

It's "Strictly star's stalker terror" for the Sun, as Chris Robshaw faced a "terrifying campaign of harassment by a female stalker". The woman, who the paper says threatened the rugby player with violence twice last year, is now "being hunted by police".

New wave of African pride rises in the Caribbean

17 minutes ago Share Save Wedaeli Chibelushi BBC News Gemma Handy BBC News in St John's Share Save

EPA Trinidad and Tobago pays tribute to the nation's Afro-descendant community on Emancipation Day, which marks the ending of slavery throughout the British Empire

Augustine Ogbo works as a doctor, treating patients in clinics across the striking Caribbean island of St Lucia. When he returns to his home in the coastal town of Rodney Bay, he clocks in for his second job - as the owner and solo chef of a Nigerian takeaway. "Egusi soup and fufu, that's more popular... they love jollof rice too," Dr Ogbo says, reeling off a list of his customers' favourite dishes. The 29-year-old hails from Nigeria - population 230 million - but crossed the Atlantic for St Lucia - population 180,000 - to train as a doctor in 2016. He set up his home-based takeaway, named Africana Chops, in 2022, after being incessantly asked by his St Lucian friends for Nigerian fare. The takeaway is now thriving, Dr Ogbo tells the BBC, and not just because his island customers think the food is tasty. "They know that we all have the same ancestral origin. So most of the time, they want to get in touch with that," Dr Ogbo explains, adding that interest in African culture has grown "tremendously" since he arrived almost a decade ago. St Lucia is not alone in this phenomenon. Across the Caribbean, the desire to reconnect with the population's African heritage appears to have strengthened over the past few years. People across the Caribbean have been expressing African pride through cultural means, such as food, clothing and travel, while governments and institutions from both sides of the Atlantic have been meeting to forge economic ties.

Africa has had a long presence in the Caribbean. A significant part of the islands' population descended from enslaved West and Central Africans, who were forcibly transported to the Caribbean by European merchants in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Slavery was abolished in much of the Caribbean during the 1800s, while independence from European powers came the following century. The descendants of enslaved people retained some African customs, but largely developed their own standalone cultures, which differ from island to island. In the past, there have been major campaigns to encourage African pride, as Dorbrene O'Marde, who runs the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission, says. "It was particularly strong in the 1930s or so, and then again in the 1960s - we saw a major outpouring in sync with the [American] black power movement during that period," he says, talking to the BBC on the island of Antigua. Mr O'Marde believes the Caribbean is witnessing a renewed, more promising version of such "pan-Africanism" (a term used to describe the idea that people of African descent should be unified). "It has widened beyond psychological and cultural themes and we are now talking in broader economic terms, such as stronger transportation links between the Caribbean and Africa," he says. "We are in a different phase now of pan-Africanism – one that's not going to wane like before."

EPA/Shutterstock The cultural ties are strong but new trends on social media, as well as African musicians going global, have excited a new generation

One thing that separates this wave of African pride from the ones that came before is social media. Dennis Howard, an entertainment and cultural enterprise lecturer at the University of the West Indies, says a "significant" amount of Jamaicans are connecting with Africa through platforms such as TikTok. "People are learning more about black history beyond slavery," he tells the BBC from his home in the Jamaican capital, Kingston. Mr Howard also points to the global rise of Afrobeats, a musical genre from Nigeria and Ghana. He feels that in Jamaica specifically, the popularity of Afrobeats is partly down to a desire to reconnect with the continent. "Through the music videos, [Jamaicans] are seeing certain parts of Africa are similar to Jamaica and are developed. We had a concept of Africa as this place where it is backward and it's pure dirt road... the music is changing that." Asked about the view of some Jamaican commenters online - that islanders do not need to reclaim their African heritage as they have an equally valid, hard-won Jamaican heritage of their own - Mr Howard stresses that the two are not distinct. "Our whole culture is African, with a little sprinkling of Indian and European and Chinese. But for the most part it is African-derived. It is the most dominant part of our culture," he says. Those leaning into their African heritage are not just consuming the culture, but actually getting on flights and exploring the continent first-hand. The tourism authority in Ghana - once a major departure point for enslaved Africans being shipped to the Caribbean - told the BBC there had been a "notable increase" in holidaymakers from the islands in recent years. Similarly, Werner Gruner, South Africa's consul to the Bahamas, says that over the past two or three years, his office has seen a rise in local people travelling to South Africa, Ghana and Kenya. "I see a lot of interest in safaris and I think people also start to realise that South Africa and other African countries are actually very well developed," Mr Gruner says.

EPA Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (second from the right) wore a Nigeria-inspired outfit when she met African dignitaries on Emancipation Day

Even Burkina Faso, an economically struggling country under military rule that is not well known for tourism, is apparently on some people's buckets lists. Mr O'Marde says some of his countrypeople want to visit the country because of the pan-African leanings of its leader, Ibrahim Traoré. Getting to the mother continent from the Caribbean can, however, be complicated, with travellers often forced to fly via Europe. Earlier this year, in a speech in which she referred to herself as a "daughter of Africa", Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley called for the construction of "air and sea bridges" between Africa and the Caribbean. "Let us make these changes, not just for heads of state, but for ordinary people who wish to trade, travel, and forge a shared future," she said. Key institutions like the African Union, African Development Bank (AfDB) and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have been working on the "trade" angle, hosting conferences and setting up memorandums of understanding with their Caribbean counterparts. Afreximbank says trade between the two regions could jump from around $730m (£540m) to $1.8bn (£1.33bn) by 2028, provided the right conditions are achieved. But at the moment, Africa and the Caribbean have some of the lowest indicators in the world for transport infrastructure, logistics quality and customs efficiency, according to the World Bank.

In an attempt to reduce trade barriers, the prime minsters of Grenada and the Bahamas this year called for Africa and the Caribbean to launch a shared currency. Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis told delegates at an Afreximbank meeting in Nigeria they should "seriously" consider a single digital currency, while Grenada's Dickon Mitchell said: "Such a move would symbolically and practically affirm our shared identity not just as trading partners, but as members of a truly global Africa". Getting more than 60 countries to coordinate and launch a standard system would be no easy feat, but Mitchell said this must be done if the regions are to "take control of [their] own future". Back in St Lucia, Dr Ogbo says his attempts to bring egusi, fufu and jollof to local people are a small but worthy contribution to the strengthening of relations between Africa and the Caribbean. In June, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu signed various cooperation agreements with St Lucia during a state visit and Dr Ogbo sees Africana Chops as an extension of that. "I can say I'm working hand-in-hand with the Nigerian government and even the St Lucian government to promote the African culture," he says. The doctor and businessman is now trying to upgrade his food business to a full-fledged restaurant - and he hopes the "cultural exchange" between Africa and the Caribbean also goes from strength to strength. "It's awesome!" he says. "I'm really, really excited about that."

You may also be interested in:

Getty Images/BBC

'No going into Nato by Ukraine,' says Trump as Zelensky prepare for White House talks

Just now Share Save Jude Sheerin BBC News, Washington Share Save

Watch: How Friday's Trump-Putin summit unfolded... in under 2 minutes

Donald Trump has said the Ukrainian president can end Russia's war "if he wants to", but there would be "no going into Nato by Ukraine" as part of a peace deal. Hours before he was due to host Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, Trump also said there would be "no getting back" of the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion. It follows Trump's summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska that resulted in the US president dropping a demand for a ceasefire and calling instead for a permanent peace deal. A US envoy said on Sunday that Putin had agreed to a possible Nato-like security pact for Ukraine.

The Russian president has consistently opposed the idea of Ukraine joining the military alliance. Posting on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, Trump said: "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. "Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!" Trump added. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are among the European leaders who will join Zelensky in Washington for talks on Ukraine's future on Monday. Also attending are French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It is unclear how many of them will go to the White House. Trump later added: "Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!" What handing Donbas to Putin would mean for Ukraine

Washington talks could prove more vital than Trump-Putin summit

In maps: War-ravaged Ukrainian territories For so many heads of state to travel with such little notice across the Atlantic to what is essentially a wartime crisis meeting appears without precedent in the modern era, underscoring the sky-high stakes. Diplomatic sources say European officials are concerned that Trump may try to press Zelensky to agree to terms, after the Ukrainian leader was excluded from the Trump-Putin meeting on US soil last Friday. But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the BBC's US partner CBS that any suggestion Zelensky might be bullied by Trump into accepting a peace deal was a "stupid media narrative".

February's row between Zelensky, Vance and Trump

Nato leaders also appear eager to avoid a repeat of Zelensky's February trip to the Oval Office that ended abruptly after an argument with Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance. The altercation - which saw Trump accuse Zelensky of "gambling with World War Three" - left Washington-Kyiv ties in tatters. But European leaders have been working diligently behind the scenes since then to mend the relationship. The Ukrainian leader has been coached to talk in terms of deal-making - language that resonates with Trump. In April, Ukraine signed a minerals agreement that gave the US a financial stake in the country, and Trump and Zelensky spoke privately at the Vatican before Pope Francis's funeral. Ukraine made clear it was willing to pay for US weapons. By July, the two leaders had a phone call that the Ukrainian president described as "the best conversation we have had". Meanwhile, Trump had begun to express exasperation with Russia's unrelenting onslaught in Ukraine. He called Putin "absolutely crazy", drastically shortened his deadline for a peace deal, and threatened economic sanctions on Moscow. As these deliberations grind on, Russian forces continue to advance on the battlefield. They now occupy almost a fifth of Ukraine since Moscow launched its full scale invasion in February 2022.

EPA Zelensky joined a virtual summit on Sunday with Nato and European leaders

'No going into Nato by Ukraine,' says Trump as Zelensky prepares for White House talks

20 minutes ago Share Save Jude Sheerin BBC News, Washington Share Save

Watch: How Friday's Trump-Putin summit unfolded... in under 2 minutes

Donald Trump has said the Ukrainian president can end Russia's war "if he wants to", but there would be "no going into Nato by Ukraine" as part of a peace deal. Hours before he was due to host Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, Trump also said there would be "no getting back" of the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion. It follows Trump's summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska that resulted in the US president dropping a demand for a ceasefire and calling instead for a permanent peace deal. A US envoy said on Sunday that Putin had agreed to a possible Nato-like security pact for Ukraine.

The Russian president has consistently opposed the idea of Ukraine joining the military alliance. Posting on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, Trump said: "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. "Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!" Trump added. Before Trump's return to power in January, Nato countries agreed on Kyiv's "irreversible path" to membership in the alliance. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, alongside European leaders including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, will join Zelensky in Washington for talks on Ukraine's future on Monday. Also attending are French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It is unclear how many of them will go to the White House. Trump later added: "Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!" What handing Donbas to Putin would mean for Ukraine

Washington talks could prove more vital than Trump-Putin summit

In maps: War-ravaged Ukrainian territories For so many heads of state to travel with such little notice across the Atlantic to what is essentially a wartime crisis meeting appears without precedent in the modern era, underscoring the sky-high stakes. Diplomatic sources say European officials are concerned that Trump may try to press Zelensky to agree to terms, after the Ukrainian leader was excluded from the Trump-Putin meeting on US soil last Friday. But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the BBC's US partner CBS that any suggestion Zelensky might be bullied by Trump into accepting a peace deal was a "stupid media narrative".

February's row between Zelensky, Vance and Trump

Nato leaders also appear eager to avoid a repeat of Zelensky's February trip to the Oval Office that ended abruptly after an argument with Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance. The altercation - which saw Trump accuse Zelensky of "gambling with World War Three" - left Washington-Kyiv ties in tatters. But European leaders have been working diligently behind the scenes since then to mend the relationship. The Ukrainian leader has been coached to talk in terms of deal-making - language that resonates with Trump. In April, Ukraine signed a minerals agreement that gave the US a financial stake in the country, and Trump and Zelensky spoke privately at the Vatican before Pope Francis's funeral. Ukraine made clear it was willing to pay for US weapons. By July, the two leaders had a phone call that the Ukrainian president described as "the best conversation we have had". Meanwhile, Trump had begun to express exasperation with Russia's unrelenting onslaught in Ukraine. He called Putin "absolutely crazy", drastically shortened his deadline for a peace deal, and threatened economic sanctions on Moscow. As these deliberations grind on, Russian forces continue to advance on the battlefield. They now occupy almost a fifth of Ukraine since Moscow launched its full scale invasion in February 2022.

EPA Zelensky joined a virtual summit on Sunday with Nato and European leaders

Bolivia set to elect first non-left wing president in two decades

44 minutes ago Share Save Ione Wells South America correspondent, BBC News Share Save

Reuters Rodrigo Paz Pereira is the frontrunner in Bolivia's first-round presidential election which took place on Sunday.

Bolivia is set to elect a non-left wing president after nearly two decades of near-continuous rule by the incumbent socialist party, according to official preliminary results. Senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira and former president Jorge Quiroga came in first and second place respectively in Sunday's presidential elections. Neither received a high enough share of the vote to secure an outright win, so the vote will go to a run-off between these two candidates, due in October. Paz Pereira, of the Christian Democratic Party, was a surprise vote leader, after opinion polls had suggested Samuel Doria Medina, a businessman, was the frontrunner.

The electoral authorities said it can take up to three days to finalise the results. Paz Pereira's campaign focused on redistributing more funds away from central government towards regional entities, and fighting corruption - with his slogan "capitalism for all, not just a few". He has suggested a programme of accessible credit, tax breaks to boost the formal economy, and eliminating import barriers for products that Bolivia doesn't manufacture. Quiroga briefly acted as interim president from 2001-2002 after serving as Vice President to Hugo Banzer, a military dictator until he was later elected. The election of a president from outside the left camp will likely see sharp changes in the Latin American country's foreign policy. In terms of trade, both candidate's capitalist stances could indicate more support for foreign investment in Bolivia's vast lithium reserves - the key ingredient for batteries used in many electric cars, laptops and solar panels. Politically, a change in government could mark closer ties with the US, after two decades of strengthening ties between Bolivia and China, Russia and Iran. A recent US Congress report briefing described US-Bolivia relations as "strained" under the socialist party's governance.

Reuters

The country's turn to the right comes as it is experiencing its worst economic crisis in years, with shortages of fuel, foreign reserves and some food items and high inflation and debt. Opinion polls ahead of the election suggested that many voters wanted to vote for change, or to punish the incumbent Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) party. The current president, Luis Arce, mired in deep unpopularity, decided not to seek re-election. The punishment of the left is not just electoral, but physical in some cases. The candidate for MAS, Eduardo del Castillo, was booed out of the school where he cast his vote. Bolivian media reported that some fellow voters told him to "wait in line like they do for fuel" rather than skip the voting queue. People also threw stones at the highest-polling left-wing candidate, Andrónico Rodríguez, when he went to cast his ballot. Rodríguez was previously a member of MAS before splintering from the party. Authorities in Bolivia also said that an explosive device was set off at the polling station where Rodríguez cast his vote. There were no reports of significant damage or injuries. Rodríguez described it as an "isolated incident" orchestrated by a "small group" to a Bolivian newspaper. The left has not just faced recent unpopularity over the economy. It is also deeply divided.

AFP via Getty Images Ex-president Evo Morales still has many supporters - even though he is barred from running again.

First group of Gaza children to be brought to UK 'in coming weeks'

More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured since the start of the war, according to the UN charity Unicef

It comes after some MPs wrote a letter to the government urging them to bring sick and injured children from Gaza to the UK "without delay".

The children will be selected by the World Health Organization and will travel with family members via a third country, where biometric data will be collected.

They would be the first children brought to the UK for treatment as part of a government operation being coordinated by the Foreign Office, Home Office and Department of Health.

A group of between 30 to 50 critically ill and injured Palestinian children will be evacuated from Gaza to the UK for medical treatment in the coming weeks, the BBC understands.

In a letter last week, a cross-party group of 96 MPs warned that children were at risk of imminent death due to the "decimation" of the healthcare system in Gaza and any barriers to evacuation should be immediately lifted.

Some Gazan children have already been brought privately to the UK for medical treatment through an initiative by the organisation Project Pure Hope (PPH), but the government has so far not evacuated any through its own scheme during the conflict.

Earlier in August, the government said that plans to bring more children to the UK for medical treatment were being carried out "at pace".

It is unclear which third country the children will transit through on their way to the UK, exactly how many children will be involved or whether further groups will follow.

Given the challenge of returning children to Gaza, it is understood some may enter the asylum system after completing treatment.

More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured since the war in Gaza begun in October 2023, according to the UN charity Unicef.

Since the start of the war, the UK has provided funds so that injured Gazans can be treated by hospitals in the region and has also been working with Jordan to airdrop aid into the territory.

Children brought to the UK under the government scheme will be treated on the NHS. At the beginning of August, the government said that a cross-party taskforce was working to establish a plan to "evacuate children from Gaza who require urgent medical care... as quickly as possible".

The Home Office previously said biometric checks would be carried out before children and carers before they travel.

Severely ill Palestinians have been evacuated from Gaza to other countries since the start of the war, including more than180 adults and children to Italy.

The UN has warned of widespread malnutrition in Gaza, with experts backed by the organisation warning in a report last month that the "worst-case scenario" of famine is playing out in Gaza.

Israel has insisted there are no restrictions on aid deliveries into Gaza, and has accused the UN and other aid agencies of failing to deliver it.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military operation began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

I saw a kaleidoscopic light before going blind, says survivor of Laos methanol poisoning

32 minutes ago Share Save Oli Constable, Katie Roberts and George Sandeman BBC News Share Save

When Calum Macdonald arrived at the Vietnamese border, he couldn't read the administrative forms in front of him. All he could see was a blinding kaleidoscopic light. He had just stepped off an overnight bus with his friends from the popular tourist destination of Vang Vieng in Laos. The day before, the group had been staying at a hostel where free whisky and vodka shots were offered to guests. Calum was mixing them with soft drinks. It was only at the border that he suspected something might be wrong with his sight - which he told his friends. Free shots and beer buckets in party town at centre of methanol deaths

'Don't let it be your best friend that dies from methanol poisoning' "[We agreed] it was strange but we thought it was food poisoning and the light I was seeing was some kind of sensitivity," he tells BBC Breakfast. But when they arrived at their destination in Vietnam, it was clear something was seriously wrong. "We were sitting in the hotel room, my friends and I, and I said to them: 'Why are we sitting in the dark? Someone should turn a light on.'" The lights were already on. Calum, 23, is now blind and telling his story for the first time. He was one of several victims of a mass methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng last November. Six people died. Calum knew two of them - Danish girls he had met on a night out. All had been staying at the town's Nana Backpacker Hostel.

Calum was travelling in South East Asia before suffering methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, Laos

Calum is now working with the families of three other British people who died following methanol poisoning in South East Asia. They are calling on the Foreign Office to be clearer about the dangers people face when booking holidays in countries where methanol poisoning is a concern. Simone White was one of those people. The day after Calum left Vang Vieng, Simone drank free shots at the hostel. Earlier she'd sent her mum a text message saying this was the best holiday she'd ever been on. Simone was admitted to hospital in the following days and a friend called her mother Sue to inform her of what had happened. Later, she rang again to say Simone was in a coma. Sue booked a flight immediately but, before she could take off, she received another call in the middle of the night from a doctor in Laos who was treating Simone. "[He said] you need to give permission for urgent brain surgery or she's not going to survive… "I flew out the next day knowing she was going through surgery and I expected the worst, to be honest." The 28-year-old died in hospital from methanol poisoning. "It's very hard to come to terms with what's happened," Sue says. "Nothing is going to bring Simone back."

Simone messaged her mother before she died saying this was the best holiday she'd ever been on

Methanol is a type of alcohol commonly found in cleaning products, fuel and antifreeze. It is similar to ethanol, which is used for alcoholic drinks, but is more toxic to humans because of the way it is processed by the body. Alcoholic drinks can become contaminated with methanol if they are manufactured poorly. It is a known problem with cheap spirits in South East Asia where hundreds of people are poisoned each year, according to the charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF). If you consume one of these contaminated drinks and suffer methanol poisoning, symptoms can include dizziness, tiredness, headaches and nausea. For many people it feels similar to a normal hangover, which makes it difficult to know if you have been poisoned or just had a few too many drinks. After 12-48 hours, more serious problems can emerge like seizures and blurry vision. In severe cases, it can lead to total blindness and leave sufferers in a coma. As little as 30ml of methanol can be fatal to humans, says the MSF. If diagnosed within 10-30 hours after consumption, methanol poisoning can be treated successfully with dialysis.

Kirsty, who had lived in Bali for eight years, also fell victim to methanol poisoning

Kirsty McKie, 38, died in 2022 but it was not the result of accepting free shots. She had been enjoying drinks at home with a friend ahead of a night out in Bali - the Indonesian island where she had been living and working for eight years. Her friend, Sonia Taylor, said they both felt like they had a particularly bad hangover the next day before Kirsty was taken to hospital for treatment. Sonia had also drunk the contaminated alcohol, but survived. "We had no idea," says Sonia. "That's probably been the hardest part for me, not knowing why you live and somebody else dies… It doesn't seem to have any rhyme or reason as to why." On Sumatra, another Indonesian island, Cheznye Emmons died after drinking gin that was later found to contain 66,000 times the legal limit for methanol in drinks.

Cheznye died after drinking gin that contained 66,000 times the legal limit for methanol in a drink

Cheznye's mother Pamela tells the BBC: "I think the worst part about that… [was] just before she started having a fit, when she first arrived at the hospital, she said to her boyfriend: 'I'm really, really scared.' "And that was basically the last time [she spoke]." Calum's advice to tourists is to avoid free drinks and spirits in general. "There are lots of lovely beers in south-east Asia, which I'm sure people would really enjoy." He says learning of the deaths of the two Danish girls he met in Vang Vieng changed his perspective about his blindness.

Calum and the families of Simone, Kirsty and Cheznye are raising awareness about methanol poisoning

'D-Day at White House' and 'Superman star' dies aged 87

It's "D-Day at the White House", says the Daily Mail, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and EU leaders prepare to meet US President Donald Trump. But "will he listen to a single word they say," it poses. The death at 87 of superman star Terrance Stamp also features.

The UK and EU are "at Zelensky's side for talks with Trump", reads the Guardian headline. It "seems designed to prevent a repeat of Zelensky's public mauling during his last trip", it adds. On the Middle East, the paper reports that Israel's army is preparing "to force one million people out of Gaza City". A striking black-and-white portrait of Mr Stamp dominates the right hand side.

"Europe tells Trump: Don't give in to Putin", reports The Daily Telegraph. To the right, a shot of French President on holiday in France, atop a hydrofoil. In other news, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps are using a leaked Ministry of Defence "kill list" provided by the Taliban to hunt British spies, the paper says.

The headline for the Times this morning is "Zelensky wants security guarantees before a deal". It features reporting of "intense" fighting on the ground in Donets, as both Russia and Ukraine "race to secure territory". Peeking out from the bottom strap, a story on golden eagles possibly returning to England after more than 150 years.

The leaders' talks in Washington also leads the Financial Times. Zelensky and Ukraine's European allies "seek security guarantees", it says, after Putin "demanded that Kyiv should concede land in order to reach a truce". Also featured is a report that the UK has produced enough electricity to power more than five million homes for a year through solar power alone.

"Europe takes a stand" is the headline on the Mirror, alongside a picture of Sir Keir and Zelensky embracing at the entrance to 10 Downing Street. "Super star" Mr Stamp also makes the front.

The Metro splashes with a black and white photo of train tickets, calling a reported rail fare rise "outrageous". Industry experts it cites say prices will go up another 5.5% next year.

"And it's off", reads the Daily Star's headline as horse racing strikes begin ahead of the "chancellor's hated bet tax". All meets have been "axed for a day in protest at the tax hike betting plans of Rachel Reeves". The Star also touches on "Terence tributes".

The Daily Express spotlights "Britain's 10 million junk food addicts" as some experts vie for the World Health Organization (WHO) to include food addiction as a form of substance abuse. Dr Jen Unwin, the organiser of a gathering of medics and academics in London to discuss the issue, has called it a "health disaster".

It's "Strictly star's stalker terror" for the Sun, as Chris Robshaw faced a "terrifying campaign of harassment by a female stalker". The woman, who the paper says threatened the rugby player with violence twice last year, is now "being hunted by police".

Most of Monday's papers look ahead to US President Donald Trump's meetings with leaders from the UK, the EU and Ukraine in Washington.

There's consensus that, as The Guardian puts it, the UK and the EU are at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's side. The Daily Telegraph says Europe is telling the US president not to give in to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Europe takes a stand" is the way The Daily Mirror characterises it.

The Daily Mail says it's D-Day at the White House and wonders whether Trump will listen to a single word the European leaders say. The Times notes that intense fighting has been continuing, as both Russia and Ukraine are racing to secure territory, before a deal is reached.

The Telegraph says Iran has been using information on leaked Ministry of Defence documents, provided by the Taliban, to hunt British spies. The paper says some on the list have fled to Iran to escape Taliban reprisals. The government has told the paper that the Conservatives have serious questions to answer about how the data breach was allowed to happen.

The Daily Express reports a warning that there are ten million junk food addicts in the UK raising the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The paper says experts are urging the World Health Organisation to include food addiction as a form of substance abuse.

Many papers pay tribute to the actor Terence Stamp, whose death was announced yesterday. The Guardian's film critic Xan Brooks describes him as the "mesmerisingly seductive dark prince of British cinema". The i paper says the swinging London star was approached to succeed Sean Connery as James Bond but his ideas put the frighteners on the producers. The Sun says he made the working class cool. "The Stamp of genius" is the Mirror's assessment. The Mail says "the most beautiful man in the world would try anything - except incest and Morris dancing".

"And it's off" is the Daily Star's headline as it reports the upcoming horse racing strike. It says all race meets will be axed in protest at what it calls Chancellor Rachel Reeves's plans for a hated tax hike on betting. "Hold your horses," says The Sun.

Sometimes as a pundit you can still be really positive about a team's performance even when they lose, and Manchester United's 1-0 defeat by Arsenal is a good example of that.

After conceding a silly early goal that ultimately proved decisive, United showed on Sunday that their system works and also demonstrated the difference their new signings will make to it.

As I said on Match of the Day, they were more dynamic and more direct. Physically, they looked really strong too.

Essentially, they were able to be much braver when they tried to win the ball back because they have got much more quality higher up the pitch.

Yes, they still lost and did not score, but United were the better team at Old Trafford and will feel desperately unlucky they did not get anything out of the game.

Love, laughter, tears: What to expect from Ozzy film

2 hours ago Share Save Alex McIntyre BBC News, West Midlands Share Save

Ruaridh Connellan/Expectation/BBC The documentary will feature footage of Ozzy Osbourne, wife Sharon and their children over the past three years

It was just six weeks ago when legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne performed in front of thousands of adoring metalheads for the final time in his home city of Birmingham. Seventeen days later, the Black Sabbath singer and heavy metal pioneer died at his home surrounded by his family, aged 76. His death sparked an outpouring of grief from fans, friends and artists across the world - an indication of his enduring influence, which started with Black Sabbath's formation in the late 1960s. On Monday evening, BBC One will air Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, which was filmed during the late singer's last years.

What is the documentary about?

According to producer Expectation, the film will be a "moving and inspirational account" of the last chapter of Ozzy's life. It was filmed over three years and has been told through "unique and intimate access" to the whole family, including Ozzy, wife Sharon, son Jack and daughter Kelly. The documentary will feature what makers described as the "extraordinary rollercoaster" of the Osbournes' lives as Sharon and Ozzy tried to realise a long-held dream to move back to the UK. It was originally announced as a series, Home to Roost, in 2022, but the project evolved as Ozzy's health continued to deteriorate.

Ross Halfin Ozzy Osbourne died 17 days after his final performance

What will we see during the film?

The singer will be shown "heroically" battling to get fit enough to perform on stage again, as the family deal with the consequences of his ill-health, the BBC said. There will be "love, laughter and tears", as well as unforgettable family moments, typical of the Osbournes. It will also show the family accept the reality of their situation, encapsulated by Kelly's words: "Iron Man wasn't really made of iron." Producers said it would serve as a "remarkably candid and uplifting tribute" to one of the world's "true icons".

What do the BBC and film-makers say?

Clare Sillery, BBC head of documentary commissioning, said the team was "honoured" to film the Osbournes during this period of their lives. She said the film showed the "enduring spirit" that made Ozzy a global icon. "We hope it brings comfort and joy to Ozzy's fans and viewers as they remember and celebrate his extraordinary life," she added.

PA Media Kelly, Ozzy, Sharon and Jack Osbourne, pictured here in 2007, will all appear in the film

Ben Wicks and Colin Barr, executive producers at Expectation, said the film was an "inspiring and poignant" account of Ozzy fulfilling his dream to perform on stage one last time. They said: "Ozzy was loved by millions around the world not just for his music, but for his sense of mischief and his honesty, all of which we saw plenty of in the final years of his life. "But one thing shone through even more brightly to us and that was Ozzy's intense love for his exceptional family who were by his side through it all."

Where can I watch it and what time is it on?

The one-hour film will air on BBC One on Monday at 21:00 BST and will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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Broccoli harvest hit by heatwave and lack of water

7 hours ago Share Save Malcolm Prior and Jenny Kumah BBC News rural affairs team Share Save

BBC/Malcolm Prior Some farmers in the driest parts of the UK are finding their broccoli yields are down more than half

Farmers in the driest parts of the UK are facing some of their worst ever harvests as the heatwave continues to hit crop and vegetable yields. Broccoli growers are particularly struggling with a lack of water and bone-dry soils, with yields cut by more than 50%, quality affected and shoppers warned to expect smaller vegetables on the shelves. One Herefordshire grower told the BBC there could be supply shortages if sustained rainfall does not come soon. The British Growers Association said supplies of brassicas – including broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage - were "tight" but better harvests in wetter parts of the UK should ensure vegetables still make it to the supermarkets.

Getty Images Broccoli farmers in the cooler, wetter parts of the UK are seeing better harvests

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), an independent think tank, is now warning that the UK is on course to see its sixth or seventh worst harvest since records began 40 years ago. Although the overall harvest picture is mixed across the UK, farmers in parts of the country that have seen little rain and have low river levels - and who are growing produce in lighter, drier soil that does not hold moisture well - are seeing substantial shortfalls. Ben Andrews, who has a mixed organic farm growing broccoli near Leominster, Herefordshire, told the BBC that shoppers will have to "shift their expectations" about the size and shape of the vegetables in supermarkets. He added, as it was also too hot for brassicas to be grown abroad and imported to the UK, there could also be issues with shortages. "You'll be looking at maybe not quite as much availability and maybe needing to accept smaller heads of broccoli or lettuce or cabbage. "I'm not sure quite about shelves being empty, but if this continues it's not completely impossible," he said.

BBC/Malcolm Prior Martin Williams says he is now reconsidering what he grows thanks to a "devastatingly dry" season

The British Growers Association (BGA) said this summer was "proving to be yet another climatic challenge for growers", but shortfalls from some suppliers were being mitigated by producers growing more crops in areas that have seen lower temperatures and higher rainfall. Jack Ward, the BGA's chief executive, said: "In some areas, supplies of summer brassicas, cauliflowers and cabbages are tight. "Other root crops, carrots and onions have been kept going by the use of irrigation, but there are serious concerns about water supplies if the lack of rain continues. "At this stage, we are confident that the crops will be there, but the weather events of the last three months highlight the increasing uncertainty around our food supplies." Meanwhile, arable farmer Martin Williams, who is also the chairman of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) Herefordshire branch, said he had seen a 50% drop in his cereal yield, a third of the normal potato crop was likely, and there had been a 70% drop in the grass grown for feed. He said conditions had been "absolutely, devastatingly dry" and he is now considering how and what he should farm in the future "Going forward, it makes me wonder about the viability of growing cereal commodity crops. "It is a risk-based job but if I can manage my risk down by not growing those risky crops then maybe that's something I should look at," he said.

'Hugely varied' harvest

Whirlwind day of White House talks could reshape Ukraine's future

9 hours ago Share Save Frank Gardner BBC Security Correspondent Share Save

Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer attended a summit for the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" in Paris in March

It is quite possible that Monday's meeting in the White House could prove even more crucial to the future of Ukraine - and for all of Europe's security - than last Friday's US-Russia summit in Alaska. On the surface, that Putin-Trump reunion seemed to live down to every expectation. There was no ceasefire, no sanctions, no grand announcements. Were Ukraine and Europe about to get cut out of a deal cooked up behind closed doors by the world's two foremost nuclear powers? Not, apparently, if Ukraine and its partners can prevent it.

The presence of Sir Keir Starmer, President Macron, Chancellor Merz and other leaders alongside President Zelensky in Washington is about more than making sure he does not get ambushed in the Oval Office again, in the way he did on 28 February. They are determined to impress upon Donald Trump two things: firstly, that there can be no peace deal for Ukraine without Ukraine's direct involvement and secondly, that it must be backed by 'cast-iron' security guarantees. Above all, Europe's leaders want the US President to see that Ukraine and Europe present a united front and they are eager to ensure he is not being swayed by his obvious personal rapport with Vladimir Putin into giving in to the Russian leaders' demands.

Watch: How the Trump-Putin summit unfolded... in under 2 minutes

This is where the Sir Keir Starmer's diplomatic skills will be sorely tested. Trump likes Starmer and listens to him, and in a month's time Trump will be coming to the UK on a state visit. He also likes Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary-General who will be in attendance, a man who is sometimes called 'the Trump Whisperer'. The US President appears to be less fond of President Macron and the White House was sharply critical recently of his intention to unconditionally recognise a Palestinian state at the next UN General Assembly. For a peace deal in Ukraine to have any chance of working, something has to give. European leaders have said frequently that international borders cannot be changed by force and President Zelensky has said time and time again he will not give up land and besides, Ukraine's constitution forbids it. But Putin wants the Donbas, which his forces already control around 85 per cent of, and he has absolutely no intention of ever handing back Crimea. Yet as the former Estonian PM and now Europe's top diplomat Kaja Kallas once said to me: victory for Ukraine in this war does not have to be exclusively about reconquering occupied land. If Ukraine can obtain the sort of Article 5-type security guarantees now being talked about, sufficient to deter any future Russian aggression and thereby safeguard its independence as a free and sovereign state, then that would be a form of victory.

It does now appear that what the US and Russia have been discussing is a proposal that broadly trades some Ukrainian land for security guarantees that it won't have to give up any more to Russia. But the question marks are huge. Could Ukraine accept a deal that ends the war but costs it land, especially when so many thousands have died trying to save that land? If it is asked to give up the remaining 30 per cent of Donetsk Oblast that Russia has yet to occupy then does that leave the path westwards to Kyiv dangerously under-defended?

Man held over Semenyo racist abuse report bailed

Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused during the opening match of the Premier League season

A man who was arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during the opening match of the Premier League season at Anfield has been bailed.

The Cherries' Friday game against Liverpool was briefly halted in the 29th minute after Semenyo flagged it up to the referee.

A 47-year-old man from Liverpool, who was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, has been conditionally bailed, Merseyside Police said.

The conditions include a ban on attending any regulated football match in the UK and not going within one mile of a designated football stadium.

Daughter driven to tears by mum's pension delays

5 hours ago Share Save Nicola Goodwin • @newsynicola BBC Midlands Investigations Share Save

BBC Annetta Stanley said she was worried she would not be able to pay her mother's medical bills

A retired accountant said she was left in tears after spending six months trying to get her elderly mother's private pension paid. Mervis Stanley had previously been receiving a widow's pension from her husband George's time working at Gillette in Reading. But the 87-year-old had not received any money since June 2024 and was not given a reason why by pension administrators Aon, her daughter Annetta Stanley claimed. After being contacted by the BBC, Aon said it would start paying Mrs Stanley's pension again, plus the money she was owed.

"The experience has left me in tears," Annetta said. "I'm fighting really hard on behalf of my mother but I'm really worried about the impact that not having the pension is having on her. "

Listen on BBC Sounds: George and Annetta came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation

Ms Stanley's father George came to the UK in the early 1960s as part of the Windrush generation that relocated to fill post-war labour shortages and rebuild Britain's economy. His wife, Mervis, and daughter, Annetta, followed a year later and the family lived in Birmingham before moving to Reading, where George worked in the Gillette factory. The couple retired to Jamaica in 1995 and George's work pension passed to his wife after his death in 2006. Monthly payments of about £500 went to his widow for 19 years but, after Aon took over as administrators of the scheme in 2024, the money stopped, said Ms Stanley, from Herefordshire. "My father worked really hard for that money so I feel very cross that someone can just stop it and not give me an explanation why," she said. "My parents came to the UK to help rebuild the economy. It's appalling that we've been treated this way."

Annetta Stanley Mervis and George married in Jamaica before moving to the UK

Ms Stanley, who has power of attorney for her mother and deals with all her financial affairs, said she had contacted Aon dozens of times by phone, email and letter since February, to establish why her mum's pension was stopped. "I'm currently paying her bills from her state pension but if I need to take her to the hospital, the money isn't there," she said. "She's an elderly woman with health issues who relies on carers to assist her with her daily tasks. "It's stopping her carers from doing what they can for her because they realise that money is short. "She likes going out but she's stuck in her house. "

Annetta Stanley Mervis Stanley moved back to Jamaica after 40 years of working in the UK

A spokesperson for Aon said "some of the paperwork it had received was not legally acceptable in the UK" and the company was waiting for some more information to be able to resolve the situation. They said they could not comment on individual cases but it was crucial to verify contact details to ensure that an individual had not died. Their statement added that its priority was "to pay the correct pension, to the correct recipient, at the correct time and we apologise for any distress to a member (or their family) where we are unable to do so". The company added that payments could be paused if items of post were returned unopened and that this was usual practice amongst UK pension schemes, designed to protect members and make sure that the correct people received benefits.

Months of frustration

Ms Stanley said her mum had not received any post from Aon. "Her carers have regularly checked at the post office. She's received letters about her state pension but nothing from Aon," she said. The 68-year-old said nobody from the company had apologised to her or her mother. "They haven't spoken to me in six months so I'm not expecting them to ring and apologise," she said. "It's so frustrating, I came to the BBC for help because there didn't seem to be anyone else who could help me. Things wouldn't have progressed if I hadn't. "I worry that the same thing could be happening to other people. I've worked in finance for 40 years, so I knew what to do, but it's been a difficult fight." A spokesperson for Aon said, after the BBC contacted them about Mrs Stanley's case, that, after receiving some more information, they have reinstated her pension and the company had arranged for her to be paid the money she was owed.

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BBC witnesses Israeli settlers' attack on Palestinian farm in West Bank

33 minutes ago Share Save Lucy Williamson BBC News, Turmus Aya, in the occupied West Bank Share Save

The BBC's Lucy Williamson witnessed an attack by masked settlers

From among the broken remains of Brahim Hamaiel's olive trees, in the occupied West Bank, we saw the masked men approach. A dozen settlers, charging down from the illegal outpost above his farm and across the field towards us, moving fast and carrying large sticks. A sudden and unprovoked attack. Brahim had been showing us the trees he said had been hacked to pieces this week by settlers from the outpost.

Fred Scott, BBC Masked settlers ran into the Palestinian farmland

His family have farmed olives here on land near Turmus Aya, for generations, making it a target for extremist settlers who think killing Palestinian trees and livestock will also kill the idea of a Palestinian State, by forcing residents like Brahim off their land. "Fear is natural," Brahim had told me, looking up at the ridge where tarpaulin flapped at the settlers' lookout post in front of a few caravans and makeshift homes. "But there's something stronger than fear that drives me to stay here – the scent of my ancestors and an attachment dating back hundreds of years – even if I pay the price with my blood." As the masked men run towards us, we pull back to the road and drive a safe distance away. Within minutes, some of Brahim's neighbours from the surrounding farms and villages gather with catapults and stones to confront the attackers.

Fred Scott, BBC Brahim Hamaiel stands next to the broken remains of his olive trees

Vegetation by the side of the road is set on fire, its smoke signalling the site of the confrontation, as settlers on a quad bike chase away a volunteer emergency crew trying to reach a farmhouse in the middle of the field. 'Stop shooting! My daughter is dead': Woman killed as West Bank power struggle rages This is now a familiar routine. Palestinians living in these villages south of Nablus say there are attacks and confrontations on their lands every week, and that settlers are using these kinds of tactics to take over the land, field by field. But the speed and spread of this attack is breathtaking. In little more than an hour, dozens of settlers had fanned out across the hills. We watched as they broke into an isolated building, and methodically set fire to vehicles and homes. Shepherds on the furthest ridge rushed their flocks away, as the hillside behind them broke into flames, smoke billowing up from several places. By then, Palestinians arriving from across the area to help their neighbours found the main access road blocked by the Israeli army, as the destruction continued. One Palestinian was reportedly beaten by settlers, and the army later told us that both sides had hurled rocks at each other, and that Palestinians had burned tyres. It said four Israeli civilians received medical treatment at the scene. Among the crowd waiting near the army roadblock, we found Rifa Said Hamail, her frantic gestures giving way to a warm smile and embrace when we spoke to her.

Fred Scott, BBC Israeli settlers set fire to vehicles and homes

Rifa told us her husband was trapped in their farmhouse near Brahim's olive farm, and surrounded by settlers, but that the army wouldn't let her pass. "Every other day the settlers do this to us – they attack us, cut down the olive trees, and burn the farms," she said. "This is not a life. No one can stop them. We have nothing to resist them with. They have weapons, we have nothing." We later learned that settlers had torched part of their property, and that Rifa's husband had been left with cuts to his face and leg, after being hit with rocks. The Israeli organisation Peace Now, which monitors the spread of settlements in the West Bank, says the number of outposts – and settler aggression – has multiplied since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, and the Gaza War that followed. Palestinian olive harvest under threat from Israeli attacks and restrictions Since the beginning of last year, it says, some 100 outposts have appeared across the West Bank. It also found that hundreds of square kilometres of land had been taken over by settlers in the past few years using the same violent pattern of intimidation – encouraged, it says, by government support and a lack of proper law enforcement by Israel. Last week, Israel's far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced the creation of thousands of new housing units in a large West Bank settlement bloc further south, saying it would "bury the idea of a Palestinian state". Between 5-11 August, the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs documented at least 27 settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage or both, across two dozen different communities. These attacks, it said, led to the displacement of 18 households. We weren't able to speak to any of the settlers involved in the attack we witnessed. The local settlers' council told us there were elements on both sides seeking provocation, which it strongly condemned. Brahim told us he had filed two separate complaints about the attacks on his land, but few Palestinians here have much faith in Israeli justice or security forces, saying repeatedly that they protect only the settlers. One of the volunteer emergency crews who came to help during the clashes on Saturday told me the Israeli army had prevented them from reaching the scene. "We were trying to rescue the young men, when the army came, honking at us and telling us to get away from here," Yahya al-Khatib said. "We were volunteers wearing our vests. We're not here to attack or harm settlers. We want to put out fires and treat injured people. But they [the army] stop us and stand in our way."

Fred Scott, BBC Mother of 18-year-old Hamdan Abu-Elaya cries at his funeral, after he was shot and killed by Israel troops

Man gets stadium ban after Semenyo racist abuse

Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused during the opening match of the Premier League season

A man who was arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during the opening match of the Premier League season at Anfield has been banned from every football stadium in the UK.

The Cherries' Friday game against Liverpool was briefly halted in the 29th minute after Semenyo flagged it up to the referee.

A 47-year-old man from Liverpool, who was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, has been conditionally bailed, Merseyside Police said.

The conditions include a ban on attending any regulated football match in the UK and not going within one mile of a designated football stadium.

Bournemouth have agreed a deal for Liverpool winger Ben Doak for an initial £20m with a further £5m in add-ons.

The 19-year-old is expected to complete his transfer to the south coast in the next 24 hours in a move that remains subject to paperwork and passing a medical.

Doak was left out of Liverpool's 4-2 win over Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday night, amid ongoing talks between the two Premier League clubs.

But Bournemouth have since secured a deal for the forward, who has six caps for Scotland, and spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough, scoring three times and recording seven assists in 24 matches.

They are understood to have beaten interest from other Premier League clubs, including Leeds, as well as Portuguese club Porto.

Doak's move will give him a better chance of playing first team football having played just 10 times for Liverpool since joining from Celtic in 2022.

Bournemouth have had a busy summer having sold Dango Ouattara to Brentford for £42.5m last week.

They already lost defenders Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez for a combined total of about £150m to Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said his side are "not where they want to be" before defeat at Anfield and added "important movements" will be made before the transfer window closes on 1 September.

Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, left-back Adrien Truffert and centre-back Bafode Diakite have joined the club this summer, with January signing Eli Junior Kroupi also coming into the squad after finishing last season on loan at Lorient.

Sources say the Cherries are in the market for a further central defender and a striker to compete with Evanilson, with alternative option Enes Unal expected to be out with a major knee injury until November or December.

Man guilty over role in shooting of girl, 9

A man has been found guilty over his role in the shooting of a nine-year-old girl at a restaurant in east London in a tit-for-tat feud between rival gangs.

Javon Riley, 33, was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to the girl who was hit in the head by one of six bullets fired by a man on a passing motorbike at the Evin Restaurant in Kingsland High Street in Hackney on 29 May 2024.

Riley was also found guilty of attempting to murder three men - Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, Kenan Aydogdu, 45, and Nasser Ali, 44 - who were sitting at tables outside the restaurant that night.

The girl's mother said: "In a single moment, the future we had imagined for our daughter was torn away."

Why the Green Party is at a crossroads - and some insiders think it's time to get angry

13 hours ago Share Save Helen Catt Political correspondent Share Save

BBC

Warning: This article contains strong language Listen to Helen read this article The video opens with some white cliffs and a politician standing on a beach. This isn't Dover, and it's not Nigel Farage (although the echoes with Reform UK are deliberate). Rather, it's a campaign video for the Green Party's leadership hopeful, Zack Polanski. Amid slick filming and a moody orchestral soundtrack, he delivers an animated and uncompromising message. Small boats, he declares, are an "obsession that has gripped the country," blamed for a "crumbling" NHS and "obscene" rents, while people are told there's no money left. "Well," he says, looking into the camera, "I call bullshit." The real problem, he continues, are the "super-rich and their yachts".

Zack Polanski Zack Polanski, a former actor who is the party's deputy leader, has turbo-charged the race

The Green Party is on the brink of choosing its new leader. It usually does it once every two years and the contest can go fairly unnoticed. Not this year. Polanski, a former actor who is the party's deputy leader, has turbo-charged the race, the result of which will be announced on 2 September. He calls his approach "eco-populism" and says it's about being "bolder" and more clearly anti-elite in communicating social and economic issues, as well as environmental ones. This, he argues, is the style of messaging that the Green party needs to embrace. He wants to "connect with people's anger" and then offer solutions, something the Greens are, in his view, often "too nice" to do. He worries it leaves them looking "out of touch". "I think far too often in the past we've equivocated or we've been too worried to challenge wealth and power in as blunt a way as possible. This isn't about shouting, it isn't about being louder, it's about being more effective."

Tried and tested vs a radical approach

The Greens had record success at the General Election last summer, going from one to four seats in Parliament and overturning large Labour and Conservative majorities. Together with the Scottish Greens and the Green Party of Northern Ireland, they won 6.7% of the vote. Now, the party is at a crossroads: does it stick with what it knows has worked or pick something more radical? And, given the candidates don't really differ on policy, just how big a difference could new leadership make to the party's national chances?

Polanski, who is a member of the London Assembly, wants the Greens to replace Labour as the "party of the left". But his opponents, the current co-leader Adrian Ramsay and new MP Ellie Chowns, who are running on a joint-ticket, believe Polanski would explode a winning formula that has brought them their greatest ever electoral success. Ramsay and Chowns were elected to Parliament in last year's general election. Their style is, mostly, less combative - they believe it's important that the Greens have broad appeal and that the party is seen to be at the heart of Westminster if it wants to bring about change.

Ellie and Adrian 2025/PA Wire The current co-leader Adrian Ramsay and new MP Ellie Chowns are running on a joint-ticket

Chowns says many voters already have a "generalised warm feeling" towards the Greens, they just need convincing they're a credible option. "It's really the difference between populism and popularity," she says. "What they need to know is that if they put their vote in the Green box on the ballot paper that's got a really, really good chance of electing somebody."

Time to capitalise on discontent?

Plenty of analysts, and Green party members themselves, have questioned why the party hasn't already capitalised more on left-wing discontent with Labour, or why it hasn't pitched itself more effectively as an alternative to the traditional parties, in the way Reform UK has. Matt Zarb-Cousin, a former spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn who joined the Greens in 2022, is a founding member of Greens Organise, a group that wants the party to take a more socialist stance. He argues that it is "inexcusable" that the party hasn't made a breakthrough in the polls since the election. Like Polanski, he believes that voters understand the party's environmental credentials and so it needs to highlight its policies on the cost of living, inequality and taxing wealth over work. "It's not just about saying we support those things, it's about how you frame that argument: who are the enemies? Whose side are you on?"

Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Ramsay and Chowns have secured endorsement from the former Green MP Caroline Lucas

Former Green party councillor Rupert Read, who is an environmental philosopher and a co-director of the campaign group Climate Majority Project, says a lot of Green party policy is left-wing, but adds that this is often the result of "making green policies that work for ordinary people". "You need to come from a starting point that is not dogmatically and self-avowedly left. If you do there'll be a strict ceiling on the level of support which is possible." Ramsay and Chowns make a similar argument. Ramsay says that Polanski is "about appealing to a narrow base of activists," which he and Chowns argue isn't enough to win in the UK's first past the past electoral system.

Chowns also believes that Polanski's approach is too similar to strategies that have failed in the past. "We spent years as the Green party engaging in the sort of politics where we stood on street corners and told people why we were very passionate about things... "It's all well and good but it's not the way to win people over."

Return of the 'Green surge'?

The Green Peer Baroness Bennett, who led the party between 2012 and 2016, said there had been "a level of excitement and interest around this leadership election more than I've ever seen before by a very large scale". It is reporting a "significant increase" in members in the past few months, although it won't yet give an exact figure. (The cut-off date to join and be able to vote in the leadership contest was July 31.) Baroness Bennett also points to "organic growth in the grassroots" since the general election. The party has held 12 seats in council by-elections since 4 July 2024, and won another 14 - mostly at the expense of Labour, while losing four to the Conservatives. This all marks a significant change from the past - the so-called "Green Surge" in 2015, under Baroness Bennett's leadership, saw the party's membership and vote share grow but still only returned Caroline Lucas to Parliament.

Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns with Sian Berry and current co-leader Carla Denyer (second left)

Prof Neil Carter from the University of York, a long-time observer of environmental politics, says he can see an argument for following Polanski's strategy, as the Greens have traditionally had the greatest success with "metropolitan, liberal-minded, young, professionals". The sort of voters who are key to Chowns and Ramsay's approach could be harder to win over, he argues. "The trouble is you can reach out to a sort of middle-class Tory rural voter to some extent, if you just talk Green, but as soon as you start to talk about all of those other issues that the Greens like to talk about, you're going to alienate those voters." But Chowns, who, like Ramsay, won a formerly Conservative seat, says that's not her experience. "People across the political spectrum find a lot to like in what we stand for."

Attracting 'anti-system' voters

Getting noticed is often a struggle for smaller political parties. For that reason, Luke Tryl, who is UK director of the political research organisation More in Common, believes that Polanski's approach might be the Greens' quickest route to boosting its numbers. "If you are trying to get 10 to 15%, it's probably what gets you noticed." But he argues it would net the party far fewer seats than the 40 that Polanski believes he can win.

Mark Kerrison via Getty Images Polanski calls his approach "eco-populism" and says it's about being "bolder"

He says that the party is rarely brought up in the focus groups which he runs outside of Green areas and that a charismatic leader could help the party cut through. There is a segment of the population that is "anti-system", he says, to whom a more radical pitch from the Greens might appeal. Mr Tryl, however, believes that while eco-populism could be a good way of getting known, the Greens would then need to "moderate" to become a "genuine mass movement party with potential for power". On getting into government, he says: "The Adrian and Ellie approach is right because you need to win over more of the North Herefordshires and Waveney Valleys (Chowns' and Ramsay's seats) and actually places like the Isle of Wight - but they are a long way from that".

Where Corbyn's new party fits in

There is another challenge facing all candidates: the new party that will soon be launched by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, a former Labour MP. Both Prof Carter and Mr Tryl warn that Polanski's strategy could be crowded out by this new party that has yet to be named but which, according to Corbyn, had 600,000 people sign up by early August.

Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire A new party is set to be launched by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, a former Labour MP

Ramsay goes further. He believes the new Corbyn party would blow Polanski's pitch "out of the water". Research carried out in June by More in Common suggested that the establishment of a Corbyn led-party could cut the Green's nationwide vote share from 9% to 5%. (This did not take into account who would be leading the Greens). Polanski has signalled he would be willing to co-operate with a possible Corbyn-led project and believes the Greens' position as an already established party will mean he can succeed. It is Ramsay and Chowns who have secured what could be considered the "OG" of Green endorsements: the former MP Caroline Lucas. The strategy they propose sticking with is based on the one she used to get elected as the first ever Green MP in 2010, and focuses on intensive local campaigning.

The question of who to target

Both leadership pitches include carrying on with local targeting but Polanski believes it can't be scaled up sufficiently to get large numbers of seats on its own. Chowns dismisses this idea: "My vision at the next general election is that we will have multiple large numbers of target seats and definitely more than one in every region."

Dan Kitwood / Cameron Smith, Getty During the election period, the Green Party raised just £160,000 compared with more than £1.6m for Reform UK

With either approach, the Greens face other obstacles, such as funding. The party's principle of not being funded by large donors means they lack the financial resources of other political parties. During the election period, the party raised just £160,000, compared with more than £1.6m for both Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats, and £9.5m by Labour. The Green leader has also little direct control over policy, as it is set by the members - not that there is much difference between the candidates. Polanski has gone further than current party policy by suggesting the UK should leave Nato, but there are only a few differences between the candidates' public positions.

Dan Kitwood /Getty Images All three candidates back a wealth tax, which has been the Greens' major campaigning issue for several years

Ultimately, whoever is chosen to lead the party this time will likely face re-election again before the next general election. The political landscape may have changed further but there is certainly an opportunity for the Greens if they land on the right strategy. As Mr Tryl puts it, "In the age of very fragmented multi party politics, small vote shares can deliver outsized results". Top picture credit: Dan Kitwood / Leon Neal via Getty

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Stadia ban for man bailed in Semenyo racism probe

Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused during the opening match of the Premier League season

A man who was arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during the opening match of the Premier League season at Anfield has been banned from every football stadium in the UK.

The Cherries' Friday game against Liverpool was briefly halted in the 29th minute after Semenyo flagged it up to the referee.

A 47-year-old man from Liverpool, who was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, has been conditionally bailed, Merseyside Police said.

The conditions include a ban on attending any regulated football match in the UK and not going within one mile of a designated football stadium.

What each side wants from Ukraine talks at White House

17 minutes ago Share Save Laura Gozzi and Tom Geoghegan BBC News Share Save

AFP via Getty Images

It promises to be a day unlike any other at the White House later, when world leaders make a rare collective visit for crunch talks on Ukraine. What had been billed as a meeting between two presidents, Donald Trump and Volodomyr Zelensky, has now become more of a summit. Leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the EU and Nato have dashed across the Atlantic to have their say on how the three-year-old war with Russia should end and on what terms. It's a reflection of how high the stakes are and increased European concerns that the US has shifted its position to one less favourable to Ukraine. We break down what each of those present - and one who is not - would regard as a win when the sun sets on a long day of talks.

US - a deal, any deal

Trump's campaign promise was that he would solve this conflict on his first day in office but six months later the breakthrough he wants still eludes him. The terms of any agreement have seemed less important to Trump than the deal itself, so the conditions have shifted over time. Since meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump appears to have ditched his criticism of Moscow and the threat of sanctions, and decided to pile the pressure on Zelensky instead. Follow live updates

Whirlwind day of talks could reshape Ukraine's future In a late Sunday night social post, he warned the Ukrainian president he must forgo hopes of Nato membership and will have to concede Crimea, which Putin illegally annexed in 2014. Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that Washington would provide security guarantees to Europe aimed at deterring further Russian aggression. But the details remain unclear. Up to now, the US has resisted European demands that it commits to the future security of Ukraine. All eyes will be on the White House later to see if that has really changed.

Ukraine - refuse concessions on territory

Zelensky finds himself in the unenviable position of having to stand his ground in the face of an increasingly impatient Donald Trump, who appears to have been swayed by Putin and who has already accused Zelensky of standing in the way of peace. Trump will probably tell Zelensky he must agree to give up land. This will be extraordinarily difficult for the Ukrainian president to give in to as it would entrail retreating from Donetsk and Luhansk, regions which thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have fought and died to protect since 2022. It would also allow Russia to end up in control of huge swathes of territory it could later use as a launchpad for further aggression. What handing Donbas to Putin would mean for Ukraine So Zelensky cannot agree to land concessions without strong security guarantees that would kick in should Russia attack again. Those could have been provided by Nato, but Trump has made it clear Ukraine will not join the alliance. Details of any alternative guarantees have likely not been worked out yet, but without them it will be difficult for Zelensky to make any commitments. Ukraine is also concerned by the fact that Trump seems to have moved on from wanting a ceasefire to pushing for a full peace deal. This could take an exceptionally long time, allowing in the meantime for continued Russian attacks, civilian deaths and frontline losses.

Europe - a US commitment to Ukraine's security

European leaders will be trying to push Trump to flesh out what US security guarantees for Ukraine could look like. The vagueness of US statements on the matter is alarming to Europeans who feel protection from potential future attacks by Russia will have to come from a credible American commitment. There is also nervousness around the idea that the US may insist Ukraine gives up land to Russia. The European continent has a long history of bloody wars and leaders want to avoid a scenario in which a sovereign country's borders are redrawn by force. These serious concerns explain the unprecedented decision for such a large contingent of leaders to visit the White House at the last minute. Last week, a virtual US-EU meeting ahead of the Alaska summit seemed to have the effect of hardening Trump's criticism of Russia; now that he is appearing to be teetering on Moscow's side again, European leaders will try to impress on him that their concerns about the continent's long-term security have not changed.

Russia - more Ukrainian land

Marking his maiden Grand Slam title by mimicking a goal celebration from a football video game could not have been more Daniil Medvedev.

Those who didn't play Fifa had no idea why Medvedev fell to the court, on his side like a dead fish, when he beat Novak Djokovic in their 2021 US Open final.

"Only legends will understand - what I did was L2+left," he told the New York crowd.

Among the laughs were plenty of baffled looks. But this amusing and authentic reaction remains the prime example of why Medvedev is considered one of the most engaging players in the modern game.

It is also why many fans will be rooting for the 29-year-old Russian at this year's US Open as he looks to get through one of the most testing periods of his career.

Despite dropping out of the world's top 10, the inimitable Medvedev remains extremely popular.

With many athletes reluctant to show too much personality - although that has started to change in the social media era - Medvedev is seen as a breath of fresh air.

"I just try to be myself," he told BBC Sport at Wimbledon last month.

"If some people find me interesting, I'm happy.

"Some people might think I'm boring, and that's OK. I don't have to be funny - it's not an obligation.

"Being myself is the easiest way to be because if you try to act - or over-act - people will see through it and you will lose yourself."

Earlier this year he was surprised by the ATP Tour presenting him with a book of positive comments from fans on social media.

One fan said he appealed because he "broke the mould" of how players act in front of the camera, while others highlighted his "natural" personality, humour and "charisma which nobody else can beat".

Does Medvedev, who kept the gift with him as he travelled around tournaments this summer, agree with those sentiments?

"I think so,” he smiled. "I think my friends would describe me as a fun person to hang around and talk to.

"They can discuss serious things with me too. I'm an all-round person and I think all-round people have charisma."

Man told to expect jail over asylum hotel disorder

Twenty-eight people have been arrested, and 16 of them charged, following demonstrations outside the hotel

A man has been warned he will likely be jailed for causing violent disorder during a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers.

Hundreds of people have demonstrated outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, in recent months, protesting against it being used to house asylum seekers.

Dean Smith, 51, of Epping, pleaded guilty to causing violent disorder at Chelmsford Crown Court on 17 July.

He was remanded in custody for sentencing on 6 October.

'The water had no mercy': Hundreds killed as floods ravage north Pakistan

2 hours ago Share Save Azizullah Khan BBC Urdu, reporting from Buner Gavin Butler BBC News, Singapore Share Save

BBC At least 314 people have been killed and 156 injured due to rains and flash floods in recent days

Nestled among the lush green mountains of Pakistan's north, and with a river flowing serenely through its centre, Bishnoi was, until recently, a beautiful village. But it had rained heavily on the morning of Friday, 15 August, and when the villagers woke early and went off to work they were unaware of how swiftly things were about to change. According to locals, a sudden torrent of water came surging through Bishnoi, "bringing huge rocks with it and crushing buildings in its path, destroying the entire village". When BBC Urdu visited in the aftermath, the area was dotted with large stones, concrete blocks and uprooted trees. Without heavy machinery, rescue workers and locals were busy clearing the debris using small tools. "There is a house under every stone. People try to look under these rocks to see if they can find someone," local Israr Khan explained. "The houses are buried under the ground." Across the wider province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at least 314 people have been killed and 156 injured due to rains and flash floods that began between Thursday and Friday night. Buner district, where Bishnoi is located, is the worst-affected, with 217 fatalities, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Another local said many people had been killed in a house where wedding preparations were underway. Others told us there had been a total of 80 to 90 households in Bishnoi, most of them involved in farming. An estimated 50% of the houses have been completely destroyed in the flood. The rest are no longer habitable.

A devastating monsoon season

Monsoon rains between June and September deliver about three-quarters of South Asia's annual rainfall. Landslides and flooding are common, and 650 people have already died in this year's season. In Pakistan, at least 507 people have died and more than 700 have been injured in rain-related incidents since the monsoon started in late June, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. Punjab and parts of Islamabad are among the areas that have been battered by heavy downpours and flash floods so far this year. But neither have been hit harder than Pakistan's mountainous north, home to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one of the most glaciated areas in the region. Global warming is causing these glaciers to quickly thin and retreat, in turn making debris such as rocks, soil and other materials more vulnerable to being dislodged. And while the exact cause of the recent floods and landslides are yet to be determined, glaciologists say that ice melt is a contributing factor. Government forecasters have warned that heavy rainfall is expected until 21 August in the north-west, where several areas have been declared disaster zones.

Floods and landslides are devastating villages in Pakistan's mountainous north

In the Swat Valley, less than 100km from Buner, a school principal saved nearly 900 students from the floods. "It was exactly 09:00 when I had a last glance at the stream and sensed it was going to burst its banks due to continuing rains," Saeed Ahmad, 59, told Anadolu news agency. Mr Ahmad ordered an immediate evacuation, and within 15 minutes all teachers and children had left - moments before raging floodwaters surged through the school, washing away half the building, its boundary walls and playground. Sarwar Khan, a local councillor, said "this timely action by the principal saved 900 lives". Others were not so fortunate. Abdul Salam, who lives in Punjab, told BBC Urdu of the moment he realised his wife, two daughters and son may have been caught in the Swat Valley floods. "I started dialling numbers on my mobile phone like crazy, but I couldn't get in touch with my wife and children," he said. All four of them drowned. Meanwhile, in Buner, Asrar Khan said that 27 people from his village were still missing. When asked how the disaster unfolded, he took a deep breath. "It all happened before my eyes," he said - and explained that although he and others had managed to save some people, "the water was so strong it had no mercy on anyone".

'The search is ongoing'

Crops lay flattened on both sides of the road on the drive towards Buner's Pir Baba Bazaar. Trees were uprooted and vehicles were in ruins - sometimes stuck in mud, sometimes in walls. Arriving at the market, other details of the destruction were visible. The intensity of the floods were clear from the fact that the water had reached the third floor. Some shops had collapsed. Sugar sacks and women's clothes were littered in the mud, with vehicles passing over them. The shopkeepers had started working on their own, removing mud and water from their shops.

Getty Images Flood survivors and people from far-flung areas have helped with the relief effort

Police investigating Strictly 'drug use' claims

The BBC said it had "clear protocols and policies in place" for dealing with any serious complaints raised with it.

"Police are assessing the information and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed," it said.

In a statement, the Met said it had "received an allegation about drug related offences".

The Metropolitan Police has said it is investigating allegations of drug use on Strictly Come Dancing.

The Met's involvement comes after the the BBC launched an investigation earlier this month into alleged drug use by two stars of the show, who have not been named.

It followed a report in the Sun on Sunday, which said the alleged drug use by the stars was widely talked about on the show.

BBC News understands the corporation has hired a law firm to help it carry out the probe.

On Sunday, the Sun reported that the BBC had referred the matter to police.

A Met spokesperson later confirmed that the force had "received an allegation about drug related offences" on Tuesday 12 August.

The BBC said it would not comment on any police investigation.

But it highlighted a previous statement which read: "We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us.

"We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further."

Strictly, which has been airing since 2004, has faced multiple controversies over the past few years relating to the behaviour of some of its professionals and celebrity guests.

It is believed, however, that this is the first time the BBC has been in contact with the police over allegations linked to the show.

Boy, 2, dies after car hits pedestrians

Flowers and soft toys have been left at the scene

A two-year-old boy has died and a man is seriously injured after a crash in a car park in Kent, police have said.

Officers said they were called to the junction of Harbour Street and Cromwell Road, Whitstable, at 20:24 BST on Saturday, after a crash involving a car and multiple pedestrians.

The boy was pronounced dead at the scene and a man was taken to hospital with serious injuries, said police. The child's next of kin has been informed.

Police said a man in his 20s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Terence Stamp: 1960s icon who was the 'master of the brooding silence'

8 hours ago Share Save Share Save

BBC

Terence Stamp's dashing good looks and smouldering glare made him a star of 1960s cinema. One of the stalwarts of Swinging London, the working class actor's first film earned him an Oscar nomination. With actress Julie Christie or supermodel Jean Shrimpton on his arm, he specialised in playing sophisticated villains: including Superman's arch nemesis, General Zod, and the petulant Sergeant Troy in Far From the Madding Crowd. The Guardian called him the "master of the brooding silence", but Stamp's acting proved to have range as well as depth. Thirty years after his career began, he shocked his fans - but picked up a Golden Globe nomination - as transgender woman Bernadette Bassenger in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Getty Images 1960's icons: Terence Stamp and the supermodel, Jean Shrimpton

Terence Henry Stamp was born in Stepney, east London, on 22 July 1938. He died aged 87 on 17 August, his family said. His father, a man Stamp once described as "emotionally closed down", was a ship's stoker and often away from home.

Young Terence's interest in acting began to blossom when his mother took him to the local cinema to see Gary Cooper in Beau Geste, a film that left a deep impression on him. After enduring the Blitz in the east end of London, the Stamp family moved to the more genteel Plaistow - where Terence attended grammar school before getting the first of a series of jobs in advertising agencies. In his autobiography, Stamp Album, he recalled how he loved the life, but he could not shake off the feeling he wanted to be an actor.

Getty Images Terence Stamp photographed at home with his parents and siblings, after being cast in the film, Billy Budd.

Having been turned down for National Service because of problems with his feet, he won a scholarship to the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art - which got rid of his cockney accent. After completing his studies, he set out on the grinding local repertory circuit that was the training ground for all aspiring actors in the 1950s. On one occasion, he found himself in a touring production of The Long and the Short and the Tall alongside another budding actor named Michael Caine, with whom he would later share a flat. Stamp's leap to stardom came when he was cast in the title role of a 1962 film, Billy Budd, based on the Herman Melville novella. His performance as the naïve young seaman, hanged for killing an officer in self-defence, won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer.

Getty Images Stamp shot to fame as Billy Budd - a 1962 film about a heroic, stammering 18th century seaman

In the same year, he appeared in Term of Trial alongside Laurence Olivier. Stamp was hailed as one of the new wave of actors from working-class backgrounds, such as Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay, who were also making a name for themselves. In 1965, Stamp starred in an adaptation of the John Fowles novel The Collector, as the repressed Frederick Clegg who kidnaps a girl and imprisons her in his cellar. By now, he was regularly seen at the most fashionable 1960's gatherings, and his good looks brought him plenty of female attention. There was a relationship with the actress Julie Christie, who he'd approached after seeing her holding a gun on a magazine cover in 1962. The affair only lasted a year, but was thought to be later immortalised by the Kinks in the song Waterloo Sunset: with a line referencing Terry and Julie crossing over the river.

Getty Images Terence Stamp on set while filming Modesty Blaise in 1965

He turned down the chance to star in Alfie, having played the part on stage. His flatmate, Michael Caine, took the role instead and it launched his career. In 1966, Stamp appeared as Willie Garvin - a rough Cockney diamond - in the film version of Peter O'Donnell's comic strip, Modesty Blaise. And, a year later, he starred as a bank-robber-with-a-soft-heart in Ken Loach's kitchen sink drama, Poor Cow. Stamp found Loach difficult. The director, he felt, was too political and hid the script from the cast - preferring to feed them lines while shooting each scene. "Before a take, he'd say something to (co-star Carol White)," he complained, "and then he would say something to me, and we only discovered once the camera was rolling that he'd given us completely different directions. That's why he needed two cameras, because he needed the confusion and the spontaneity."

Getty Images Terence Stamp and Julie Christie - as Sergeant Troy and Bathsheba Everdene - in Far From the Madding Crowd

He was reunited with Julie Christie in Far From the Madding Crowd. He was dating Jean Shrimpton by then, but their on-screen chemistry was still evident. "On the set, the fact that she had been my girlfriend just never came up," he told The Guardian in 2015. "I saw her as Bathsheba, the character she was playing, who all the men in the film fell in love with. But it wasn't hard, with somebody like Julie." With cinematographer Nicholas Roeg, Stamp helped choreograph the famous fencing demonstration scene: in which Sergeant Troy's sword skills captivate - and eventually seduce - Bathsheba Everdene. But the film got poor reviews and failed at the box office. And Stamp fell out with the director, John Schlesinger. "He didn't strike me as a guy who was particularly interested in film," the actor recalled. "Plus I wasn't his first choice: he really wanted Jon Voight."

Getty Images Terence Stamp and Julie Christie on the poster for Far From the Madding Crowd

But Stamp's star was beginning to fade. An outing in Blue - a "pretentious, self-conscious, literary Western without much zest", according to one critic - didn't help. He was approached to play James Bond when Sean Connery relinquished the role, but his radical ideas of how he should interpret the character did not impress producer Harry Saltzman. Stamp suggested that he might start a Bond film disguised as a Japanese warrior - and slowly reveal himself to be 007. "I think my ideas about it put the frighteners on Harry," he speculated. "I didn't get a second call from him."

Getty Images Terence Stamp's star faded as the 1960s came to a close

There was a spell in Italy where he worked with the directors Pier Paolo Pasolini and Federico Fellini but, by the time he returned to London, the 60s were drawing to a close and he was no longer in fashion. "When the 1960s ended, I just ended with it. I remember my agent telling me: 'They are all looking for a young Terence Stamp.'" He was still only 31. Disillusioned, he bought a round-the-world ticket and found himself in India - experimenting with vegetarianism, yoga and living in a spiritual retreat. It was there, in 1976, that he received a message addressed to 'Clarence' Stamp, offering him the part of General Zod in Superman.

Alamy Terence Stamp as the evil General Zod in Superman

With his leading man days behind him, Stamp discovered that playing villains was liberating. Superman and the sequel, Superman II, put him firmly back on the public stage - and he appeared in a bewildering variety of genres. There were Westerns like Young Guns, crime dramas like The Hit and The Real McCoy - and even a gothic thriller in Neil Jordan's fantasy, The Company of Wolves. But his most unlikely - and celebrated - performance was as transgender woman in the Australian film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994. Stamp was not keen to do the film - in fact, he thought the initial offer was a joke. But a female friend persuaded him to take the part - which saw his character journey across the outback with two drag queens, played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce. "It was a challenge, a challenge I couldn't resist because otherwise my life would have been a lie", said Stamp.

Alamy Stamp starred in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994

Over the next 10 years, Stamp appeared in two dozen films - playing a wide variety of parts. In 1999, he entered the Star Wars canon: playing a politician battling corruption in Episode I: the Phantom Menace - an experience he later described as "dull". More satisfyingly, he starred in The Limey: as a career English criminal hunting for his missing daughter. A decade later, he was nominated for a Bafta for his role as the grumpy husband of a dying woman in A Song for Marion. In 2002, he married for the first time at the age of 64. Stamp had met Elizabeth O'Rourke in a chemist shop in Australia. She was 35 years younger, and the marriage lasted six years.

Getty Images Terence Stamp photographed in 2019

Met urged to scrap Carnival facial recognition plan

6 hours ago Share Save James W Kelly BBC News Share Save

Getty Images The Met is one of two police forces in England and Wales to deploy LFR widely in recent years - this has now expanded

Civil liberty and anti-racism groups have called on the Metropolitan Police to drop plans to use live facial recognition (LFR) technology at this year's Notting Hill Carnival. In a letter to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, 11 organisations described LFR as "a mass surveillance tool that treats all Carnival-goers as potential suspects and has no place at one of London's biggest cultural celebrations". They said the decision to reintroduce the technology at Carnival was "deeply disappointing" and argued it could be "less accurate for women and people of colour". The Met Police says LFR is accurate and balanced across ethnicity and gender, and insists it will help keep people safe.

The groups - which include Liberty, Big Brother Watch and the Runnymede Trust - highlighted an ongoing judicial review brought by Shaun Thompson, a black Londoner who says he was wrongly identified by the system and detained. The letter states: "There is no clear legal basis for your force's use of LFR. No law mentions facial recognition technology and Parliament has never considered or scrutinised its use. "Notting Hill Carnival is an event that specifically celebrates the British African Caribbean community, yet the [Metropolitan Police] is choosing to use a technology with a well-documented history of inaccurate outcomes and racial bias."

Getty Images The Met says it will deploy 7,000 officers a day to police Carnival

The letter also raised concerns over a 2023 National Physical Laboratory study, which found the NeoFace system used by the Met was less accurate for women and people of colour depending on the algorithm that has been set. The study's authors found the system could show bias at lower thresholds, though at the higher settings the Met says it uses, performance was found to be equitable across ethnicity and gender. These thresholds are confidence levels the system uses to decide a match - lower ones flag more people but risk more mistakes and bias, while higher ones are stricter and more balanced. Campaigners said there was no legal obligation for the force to avoid the lower thresholds, and argued policing resources would be better spent on safety measures at the carnival. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, who is leading this year's policing operation at the carnival, said LFR had led to more than 1,000 arrests since the start of 2024 and that independent testing showed the system was "accurate and balanced with regard to ethnicity and gender" at the thresholds used by the Met.

Getty Images Notting Hill Carnival can attract up to two million over the weekend

Notting Hill Carnival takes place next weekend and has previously attracted up to two million people. It has come under increased scrutiny after two people were murdered at last year's event.

Mr Ward said the force had received the letter and would respond in due course. "Carnival's growing popularity and size creates unique challenges. Around 7,000 officers and staff will be deployed each day," he said. "Their priority is to keep people safe, including preventing serious violence, such as knife crime and violence against women and girls. "It is right that we make the best use of available technology to support officers to do their job more effectively." Mr Ward said the LFR cameras will be used on the approach to and from Carnival and not within the event boundaries. He said they will "help officers identify and intercept those who pose a public safety risk before they get to the crowded streets". BBC News has contacted the carnival's organisers for comment.

Ruben Amorim made a goalkeeping gamble on Sunday - and in the eyes of most it backfired spectacularly.

The Manchester United boss selected Altay Bayindir instead of the fit-again Andre Onana and it was the Turkey keeper's early error that proved the difference in Arsenal's 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Onana's future at the club has been the subject of much debate this summer and, despite Amorim's fierce defence of his keepers, the number-one position at United is again the talking point.

A United official privately offered a basic truth about the club's rebuild much earlier in the summer though.

"If we buy forwards, people will ask why we didn't get midfielders, if we get midfielders, they will ask why we didn't get a goalkeeper. We can't do everything in one go," the official said.

As it turns out, United focused their £200m summer spend on forwards as they felt that area of the pitch was the one that required the most substantial improvement.

And their attack looked far more of a threat on Sunday than it did for much of last season - with Matheus Cunha's battling style endearing him to the crowd and Bryan Mbeumo exhibiting all the attributes that helped him score 20 league goals for Brentford in 2024-25.

While United could not find an equaliser, despite their attacking toil, Bayindir's error meant it was almost inevitable the focus after this opening day defeat would be the goalkeeper.

Bayindir failed to get a strong hand to Declan Rice's 13th-minute corner, only managing to palm the ball back towards to the goalline where Riccardo Calafiori nodded home.

Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Manchester United have a problem.

"There [are] rumours of [a move for] the Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez. Now [PSG's] Gianluigi Donnarumma has become available. If I'm United I am going to get a top-quality goalkeeper.

"Andre Onana has made some big mistakes last season. Goalkeepers are the last line of defence and they can't afford to make mistakes like that."

Scottie Scheffler reeled in overnight leader Robert MacIntyre to win the BMW Championship, taking advantage of the Scot's shaky start in Maryland.

The world number one began the final day four shots behind but was in front by the seventh hole and finished two clear, chipping in at the 17th during a rollercoaster climax of frayed nerves.

MacIntyre opened with back-to-back bogeys and dropped a further stroke at the fifth. Another shot would go before a solitary birdie on the third-last green.

Struggling to find the fairways at Caves Valley, the chance of a third PGA Tour victory for the left-hander slipped away as Open champion Scheffler showed his mettle and class - despite a few uncharacteristic slips on his way to a three-under-par 67, taking him to 15 under for the week.

MacIntyre, runner-up at the US Open and tied for seventh at the Open, had been 16 under after rounds of 62, 64 and 68, but came home in 73 for the runner-up spot, two shots ahead of Maverick McNealy.

Chelsea used six attackers signed for a combined £250m in their Premier League opener, but could not find a way to score against Crystal Palace.

Joao Pedro, signed from Brighton this summer for £55m, started up front. Winger Jamie Gittens, who joined from Borussia Dortmund for £52m last month, made his debut on one flank, with £45m man Pedro Neto on the other.

Cole Palmer, the £40m attacking midfielder, played in behind as a number 10 - but despite Chelsea's attacking riches it was Palace who dominated the early stages and almost opened the scoring.

Midfielder Eberechi Eze rifled home a 13th-minute free-kick, but the goal was subsequently ruled out by VAR because Palace captain Marc Guehi was less than one metre away from the hosts' defensive wall.

Chelsea responded in the second half by bringing on two more new attacking signings - £29m winger Estevao Willian, who joined from Palmeiras, and £30m former Ipswich striker Liam Delap.

They both missed big chances, as did fellow substitute Andrey Santos, as the Blues were held to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge in a disappointing start to the new season.

While this was only one match, and no titles are decided on the opening weekend, there will be ongoing scrutiny around Chelsea if they fail to build on their Club World Cup victory in the summer.

Some have tipped the Blues to mount a title challenge, but they will need to improve both creativity and goal-scoring to challenge champions Liverpool and the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City over a 38-game season.

That said, Chelsea's internal target remains to qualify for next season's Champions League through a top-four finish.

Jon Rahm has been crowned as the LIV Golf individual champion for the second consecutive year, despite losing in a play-off to Sebastian Munoz in Indiana.

The Spaniard shot an 11-under 60 to finish at 22 under alongside Colombia's Munoz, who made headlines when he fired a 59 in Friday's first round.

Munoz made a birdie on the first extra hole on Sunday, while Rahm was only able to make a par.

However, the result was good enough for Rahm to beat Chile's Joaquin Niemann - who finished in a tie for fourth on 17 under at the Club at Chatham Hills - to the season-long award, as he did in 2024, and top prize of $18m (£13.3m).

There was also good news for two of Rahm's former European Ryder Cup team-mates, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, who both avoided being relegated and dumped by LIV for 2026.

Westwood birdied four of his first five holes to finish in a tie for 17th on 12 under along with fellow Englishman Poulter, who birdied four of his last five holes to push his Majesticks co-captain Henrik Stenson into the relegation zone.

Sonny Baker marked his first England call-up with a hat-trick as Manchester Originals boosted their men's Hundred hopes by beating rivals Northern Superchargers by 57 runs at Old Trafford.

Baker, called up for England's white-ball squads to play South Africa and Ireland next month on Friday, bowled Dawid Malan with a clever slower ball to reduce the Superchargers to 63-5 and returned at the death to wrap up the innings by dismissing Tom Lawes and Jacob Duffy.

Baker's first and second wickets may have been separated by 35 balls but his 3-21 continued a steady rise for the 22-year-old seamer who is having a breakout tournament.

His third wicket, which ensured Superchargers were all out for 114, was a perfect 88mph yorker to Duffy and was his seventh dismissal in the tournament.

The visitors were chasing 172 after Jos Buttler stroked 64 not out - his second fifty in as many innings - in Originals' 171-3.

When reaching his fifty he again looked to the sky in tribute to his father who died earlier this month.

While Buttler's innings provided the backbone of Originals' score, Heinrich Klaasen took the game away from Superchargers at the death by hitting 30 runs from the final seven balls.

The South Africa international had only 20 after 18 balls but ended 50 not out from 25 in a timely return to form.

The hosts only won one of their first four matches but join Southern Brave and London Spirit on eight points. Superchargers are four better off in third.

World number three Iga Swiatek powered to a straight-set win over Elena Rybakina to reach the final of the Cincinnati Open where she will face Jasmine Paolini.

Their meeting will be a repeat of last year's French Open final - won by Poland's Swiatek in dominant fashion.

Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, swept past Kazakhstan's Rybakina 7-5 6-3 on Sunday to reach her first Cincinnati showpiece.

Rybakina - who beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals - started brightly but failed to exploit an early break in the first set before Swiatek took control.

"That was a tough match," said Swiatek. "At the beginning it was pretty crazy, we played so fast that sometimes we couldn't even run to the second ball.

"I was there to play with intensity and good quality and I am super happy with the performance.

"It will be super tough in the final. I will have to prepare tactically but I will focus on myself and try to continue the work I have been doing."

Italy's Paolini battled past Russian Veronika Kudermetova in her semi-final 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3.

Paolini served for the match in the second set only to see her advantage slip away, but the story of the encounter was Kudermetova's tally of 75 unforced errors.

The final takes place on Monday night.

Riccardo Calafiori scores the only goal of the game after an error by goalkeeper Altay Bayindir as Arsenal start their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Watch highlights of every Premier League match this season.

Available to UK users only.

'Skibidi' and 'tradwife' among words added to Cambridge Dictionary

"Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary," said lexical programme manager Colin McIntosh.

More than 6,000 new words are included, including those that relate to remote working and tech giants.

Skibidi is a gibberish term coined by the creator of a viral animated video series on YouTube, while tradwife is a shortening of "traditional wife" – a married mother who cooks, cleans and posts on social media.

"Skibidi", "tradwife" and other slang terms popularised on social media are among thousands of new words to be added to the Cambridge Dictionary this year.

Skibidi is defined in the dictionary as "a word that can have different meanings such as 'cool' or 'bad', or can be used with no real meaning as a joke". An example of its use is "What the skibidi are you doing?"

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian revealed her familiarity with the phrase when she posted a video on Instagram showing a necklace engraved with "skibidi toilet" – the name of the YouTube series.

As well as new phrases, some shortened versions of existing terms have been added, including "delulu" – a play on the word "delusional", with a similar definition: "believing things that are not real or true, usually because you choose to".

An increase in remote working since the pandemic has seen "mouse jiggler" – a device or piece of software used to make it seem as though you are working when you are not – gain its place in the dictionary.

Some composite terms such as "broligarchy" have also been added. Merging "bro" and "oligarchy", it means "a small group of men, especially men owning or involved in a technology business, who are extremely rich and powerful, and who have or want political influence".

It was used to describe tech leaders Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg attending Donald Trump's inauguration in January.

Croatian ultra-nationalist mega-gig exposes divided society

60 minutes ago Share Save Guy Delauney BBC Balkans correspondent Share Save

DAMIR SENCAR/AFP via Getty Images Hundreds of thousands attended a concert by Marko Perkovic in Zagreb

A "neo-fascist Croatian Woodstock" or patriotic, anti-establishment fun? Last month's mega-gig by the ultra-nationalist singer Thompson – the stage name of Marko Perkovic – has dramatically exposed the polarised divisions deep within Croatian society. It shone a spotlight on wildly differing interpretations of both the country's struggle for independence in the 1990s, and the history of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a World War Two-era Nazi puppet state. Nobody would argue that the concert was anything other than huge. Thompson's management claimed that more than half a million tickets for the show at Zagreb Hippodrome were sold. The actual attendance was considerably lower – but still in the hundreds of thousands. That enormous crowd enthusiastically joined in when Thompson launched into his opening number, Čavoglave Battalion. To his cry of "Za dom" ("for homeland"), the audience roared back "Spremni!" ("ready!"). MPs from the governing HDZ party were among those chanting along.

Reuters Marko Perkovic, known as Thompson, led the crowd in a chant which many claim has roots in the Nazi-era Ustasha organisation

This chant has outraged opposition parties and organisations working for human rights and ethnic and regional reconciliation. They point out that "Za dom, spremni" originated with the anti-Semitic, Nazi-allied Ustasha organization during World War Two – and that Croatia's Constitutional Court has ruled that the phrase "is an Ustasha salute of the Independent State of Croatia [which is] not in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia". "This has opened Pandora's box," says Tena Banjeglav of Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past, an organisation which focuses on reconciliation by taking a factual approach to both World War Two and the more recent war of independence. "You've now got politicians in parliament screaming 'Za dom, spremni'. On the streets, kids are singing not only that song, but other songs Thompson used to sing which glorify mass crimes in World War Two," she says. "The government is creating an atmosphere when this is a positive thing. It is creating a wave of nationalism which could explode into physical violence." The government has in fact downplayed the chanting at the concert. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic described it as "part of Thompson's repertoire" and posed for a photo with the singer the day before the Zagreb gig.

Tena Banjeglav says that Thompson's concert has opened a Pandora's box of nationalism

Conservative commentator Matija Štahan believes that Thompson's time serving as a soldier during the war of independence gives him the right to use "Za dom, spremni" in his work. "It is an authentic outcry for freedom against aggression," he says. "Many journalists in the West say it's the Croatian version of 'Heil Hitler' – but it would be best to describe it as the Croatian version of [the Ukrainian national salute] 'Slava Ukraini'. "Both rose to prominence in the context of World War Two – which was a war for many small nations who wanted their own independent states," Mr Štahan says. "Symbols change their meaning – and just like 'Slava Ukraini', 'Za dom, spremni' also means something different. Today, it's an anti-establishment nationalist slogan. It's against the Croatian politically-correct post-communist political elite. Young people want to shout it as something that's subversive." This interpretation cuts no ice with the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR), a regional organisation which works for reconciliation among the younger generations in the Western Balkans. "It is clearly a fascist slogan," says YIHR's director in Croatia, Mario Mažić. "As an EU member state, Croatia should be an example for the rest of the region, but it has not dealt with the past. It identifies with the losing side in World War Two, doesn't recognise it waged an unjust war in Bosnia and refuses to acknowledge systematic crimes against Serbs."

Brexit was the breaking point for fascist views becoming more visible, according to Tvrtko Jakovina

Health v heritage: Pigeon feeding ban sparks debate in India

28 minutes ago Share Save Sumedha Pal BBC Hindi Share Save

NurPhoto via Getty Images A man feeds pigeons in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir

A recent court ban on feeding pigeons in public spaces in the western Indian city of Mumbai has become a major flashpoint between civic bodies, public health activists and bird lovers. This month, hundreds of people clashed with police twice while protesting the closure of a decades-old pigeon feeding spot, or a kabutarkhana. (Kabutar is the Hindi word for pigeon.) Some tore down the tarpaulin sheets covering the spot and threatened an indefinite hunger strike. Police briefly detained about 15 people at another protest, media reports said. Authorities had imposed the ban due to concerns about health hazards due to pigeon droppings. The problem is not unique to Mumbai. In Venice, feeding pigeons in historic squares is banned. Singapore imposes hefty fines, and New York and London have regulated feeding zones. In India too, Pune and Thane cities in Maharashtra state - of which Mumbai is the capital - have imposed penalties on feeding pigeons. Delhi is mulling an advisory against feeding the birds in public spaces. The crackdown has angered animal lovers and religious feeders, as pigeons are long woven into India's cultural fabric. Films often use shots of grain-feeding pigeons to evoke cities like Mumbai and Delhi, where the birds are a familiar presence on balconies and air-conditioners.

Hindustan Times via Getty Images Members of Mumbai's Jain community protested this month, saying pigeon feeding is part of their faith

Some of Mumbai's kabutarkhanas are iconic heritage structures and are said to have originated as charitable spaces where communities could donate grain. There are religious sentiments involved as well. In Mumbai, the Jain community, which considers feeding pigeons a pious duty, has been vocal in their protests. Elsewhere too, many share a bond with pigeons - seen as symbols of peace and loyalty . In Delhi, Syed Ismat says he has been feeding the birds for 40 years and considers them his family. "They are innocent. Perhaps the most innocent of all creatures. All they ask for is a little kindness," said Mr Ismat. But these sentiments are pitted against studies which show that prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings poses risks of pulmonary and respiratory illnesses. A boom in India's pigeon population in recent years has heightened this risk, prompting the restrictions. Delhi-based biodiversity expert Faiyaz Khudsar says easy availability of food has led to overpopulation of pigeons in many countries. In India, he said, the challenge is compounded by a decline in birds like the goraiya, commonly known as the house sparrow, which are increasingly being displaced by pigeons. "With easy food and no predators, pigeons are breeding faster than ever. They are outcompeting other urban birds, creating an ecological loss," Mr Khudsar said. Inside the life of Old Delhi's only female pigeon keeper

Using fake eggs to control pigeon populations

Hindustan Times via Getty Images There has been a boom in India's pigeon population in recent years

The 2023 State of India's Birds report says pigeon numbers have risen more than150% since 2000 - the biggest jump among all birds - leaving homes and public spaces with droppings, as each bird can produce up to 15kg (33lbs) a year. Studies show these droppings contain at least seven types of zoonotic pathogens that can cause diseases such as pneumonia, fungal infections and even lung damage in humans. Nirmal Kohli, a 75-year-old Delhi resident, started complaining of persistent cough and had trouble breathing a few years ago. "Eventually, a CT scan showed that part of her lung had shrunk," says her son Amit Kohli. "The doctors said it was due to exposure to pigeon droppings." Last year, an 11-year-old boy died in Delhi due to hypersensitivity pneumonitis - a disease that causes inflammation in lungs. Doctors said the reason was prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers. RS Pal, a pulmonologist, told the BBC that such cases were common. "Even if you don't directly feed pigeons, their droppings on window sills and balconies can cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis," he said. "We also see bacterial, viral and fungal infections in people handling pigeons regularly." These concerns are what led the Mumbai civic body to impose the feeding ban last month and launch a drive to demolish feeding centres.

Anshul Verma/BBC Syed Ismat has been feeding birds for four decades now

Frustrated Robert MacIntyre had the urge to "smash up my golf clubs" after letting a four-shot overnight lead slip to lose the BMW Championship to Scottie Scheffler.

The Scot had been hoping to land a third PGA Tour victory but opened with back-to-back bogeys and dropped a further stroke at the fifth hole.

World number one Scheffler was in front by the seventh and finished two clear in Maryland thanks to a remarkable chip-in at the 17th.

MacIntyre found just one birdie in his three-over par round of 73 and was at a loss to explain the number of shots he overhit.

"I got off to an absolutely horrific start," said the left-hander from Oban.

"I felt great going out today. I wasn't even expecting to be over par, to be honest. I was really expecting to go out there, foot down, and perform the way I have been the last couple of days.

"My golf ball was going miles. I don't know why. I need to work that out. I feel I've hit good shots, and I've gone miles."

James Bond 'has to be a guy', says Helen Mirren

19 minutes ago Share Save Tabby Wilson BBC News Share Save

Getty Images

Dame Helen Mirren has said James Bond should be played by a man, even though she is "such a feminist". In a new interview with Saga Magazine, the Oscar-winning actor said "you can't have a woman. It just doesn't work. James Bond has to be James Bond, otherwise it becomes something else". Amazon MGM Studios will produce the next iteration of the spy franchise, with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight set to write what will become the 26th film in the series. The Studios previously said they were planning a "fresh" take on franchise but would honour the "legacy" of the "iconic character".

The 80-year-old is currently starring opposite former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan in the much anticipated film adaption of The Thursday Murder Club, in which she plays a retired spy. Brosnan, 72, also told the magazine that he believed a male actor should continue to play Bond and he was excited to "see a whole new exuberance and life for this character." He starred in four Bond films during his tenure as 007, starting with GoldenEye in 1995 and finishing with Die Another Day, which was released in 2002.

Mirren has previously been quoted saying that the concept of James Bond was "born out of profound sexism", and that women have always been an "incredibly important part" of the Secret Service. Mirren and Brosnan are not the first to push back on the idea of Bond being played by a woman, with the sentiment echoed by Brosnan's Die Another Day costar, Halle Berry. "In 2025, it's nice to say, 'Oh, she should be a woman.' But, I don't really know if I think that's the right thing to do," she said, speaking at Cannes Film Festival in May.

Swatch sorry for 'slanted eyes' ad after China uproar

Chinese consumers are calling for a boycott of Swatch products after this ad went viral

Swatch said it had "taken note of the recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model".

Calls for a boycott of Swatch products grew on Chinese social media as the ad went viral.

Critics said the pose resembled the racist "slanted eye" historically used to mock Asians.

Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologised and pulled an ad featuring a model pulling the corners of his eyes, after the image prompted uproar among Chinese social media users.

"We sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused," the company said in a statement on Saturday.

"We treat this matter with the utmost importance and have immediately removed all related materials worldwide."

But the apology failed to appease critics.

Swatch is "only afraid for its profits," one Weibo user said. "You can apologise, but I will not forgive."

"They make money from us and still dare to discriminate against Chinese people. We would be spineless if we don't boycott it out of China," another Weibo user said.

Swatch gets around 27% of its revenue from China, Hong Kong and Macau - though it has seen declining sales in China amid the country's economic slowdown, according to Reuters news agency.

The company also produces Omega, Longines and Tissot watches.

In recent years Chinese consumers have organised boycotts against perceived insults to their culture or threats to national interests.

In 2021 there was a widespread Chinese boycott against global fashion brands like H&M, Nike and Adidas after they expressed concern over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang province.

Last year, some tried to boycott Japanese clothing store Uniqlo after the company said it did not source cotton from Xinjiang.

Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana was also the target of such a boycott in 2018, after it posted videos showing a Chinese model using chopsticks clumsily to eat Italian food. Its products were pulled from Chinese e-commerce sites and the brand cancelled its Shanghai fashion show as critics said the ad depicted Chinese women in a stereotypical and racist way.

Arsenal have come into this season with a new, more direct, style of play as they look to get the best out of £64m striker Viktor Gyokeres.

However, Gyokeres looked like he was lacking in match fitness and despite Arteta saying that the forward "did a lot of things very good" he added that he and his staff have to "work on" Gyokeres' pressing.

Arteta also said his side did not make enough of the chance to play the ball behind the United defence, something that would have shown Gyokeres' qualities, and they missed "seven or eight situations when the ball is completely open to play through" to attack the goal.

Gyokeres failed to have a single shot in a league game for the first time since April 2023, when he played for Coventry City against Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, ending a 69-match run.

Former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC Match of the Day: "I felt for him a bit. His stats weren't good but he is relying on other players.

"Arsenal have brilliant creative players but they weren't quite at the races. Let him settle in, any player needs to build up relationships with other players."

Ex-England striker Daniel Sturridge added on Sky Sports: "Arsenal have been playing with a striker in Kai Havertz that is very different to Gyokeres, so it does take time to get used to the new player's runs."

"He is also going to have to alter his game, it's not just about the team changing for him but him changing for the team. That's what it takes to hit the ground running."

Match-winner Riccardo Calafiori was selected at left-back for his unpredictability in attack but his forward runs left Bryan Mbeumo free, and that allowed the United attack to cause problems.

There was also a first start for Martin Zubimendi in midfield, and he lined up alongside Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, but the trio look as though they need more time to click.

British number ones Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper will face each other in this week's new-look US Open mixed doubles event in New York.

Raducanu, 22, is partnering five-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz, while Draper, 23, will play with American Jessica Pegula after their original partners, Tommy Paul and Paula Badosa, both withdrew.

Organisers were heavily criticised in February after announcing that the mixed doubles competition would be a standalone event on 19-20 August - before the singles tournament begins on 24 August.

The 16 pairs involved will compete for $1m (£749,077) at Flushing Meadows.

Raducanu, who won the US Open title in 2021, and Spaniard Alcaraz have been handed a wildcard entry for the two-day tournament.

Before the event, Alcaraz, 22, is taking on world number one Jannik Sinner for the fourth time this season, in the final of the Cincinnati Open in Ohio on Monday.

Italian Sinner, 24, who is also a wildcard entrant, has been re-paired with Czech Katerina Siniakova after his partner, American Emma Navarro, withdrew.

Draper and Pegula, meanwhile, have qualified directly and have been given the top seeding, because both players are inside the top five in the singles rankings.

The first two rounds will take place on Tuesday and the semi-finals and final will be played on Wednesday.

Just four games will be required to win a set in matches before the final, with no-advantage scoring (four points will be needed to win a game) and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout.

Wayne Rooney says his former England team-mate Sol Campbell went six months without speaking to him after a penalty incident between the pair in Manchester United's 2-0 win against Arsenal during the 2004-05 season.

Arsenal, coached by Arsene Wenger, had been Premier League Invincibles the previous season, but Sir Alex Ferguson's United snapped their 49-game unbeaten league streak in an ill-tempered victory at Old Trafford.

Ruud van Nistelrooy gave the home side the lead from the penalty spot, after Rooney went down inside the box under the challenge of Arsenal centre-back Campbell.

Rooney, who had joined United from Everton earlier that summer, then sealed the victory in the 93rd minute - on his 19th birthday.

After the game, a slice of pizza was thrown at Ferguson by then 17-year-old Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas - a chaotic moment that would go on to be dubbed as the 'Pizzagate'.

"It was a big game for Arsenal. If they had won it, it was 50 games unbeaten for them," said Rooney, speaking on his new BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show.

"We beat them 2-0 and Campbell did not speak to me for over six months.

"We met up [during international duty] and Sol won't speak to me. Sometimes, I was with Sol and I'd say to him: 'Come on man, we are playing for England here'.

"But he wouldn't speak to me because he felt I dived. He left his leg out and I think there was a small contact."

Hurricane threatens US East Coast with life-threatening waves

Dangerous surf and rip tides have been forecast for the US East Coast

Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, "explosively deepened and intensified" on Saturday into a Category 5 storm, before briefly losing force and now regaining strength.

While Erin is not expected to make landfall on the islands, it is expected to bring rainfall of up to six inches (15.2cm) to the Turks and Caicos and the eastern Bahamas.

The rains caused by the storm are already beginning to hit the south-eastern Bahamas, and the Turk and Caicos Islands, where a tropical storm warning is in effect.

Hurricane Erin has strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane as it threatens to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents to the eastern coast of the United States.

More than 150,000 people were left without power in Puerto Rico after high winds damaged electricity lines, according to local energy company Luma.

But the firm said it had carried out emergency repairs and that by Sunday evening local time, 95% of its customers had working electricity.

The hurricane's outer rain bands have started to affect the Bahamas, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

While the storm is not expected to hit the islands directly, the country's Disaster Risk Management Authority encouraged residents to prepare.

Its managing director, Aarone Sargent, told Bahamians to check which shelters were nearest to them and to ensure they knew of alternative shelters should the first one be full.

"These storms are very volatile and can make sudden shifts in movement," he said.

The NHC forecast is for the core of Erin to pass to the east of the south-eastern Bahamas today and move between Bermuda and the eastern coast of the US by the middle of the week.

It also said that Erin would remain "a large and dangerous hurricane" through this time.

The Outer Banks - a string of islands off the coast of North Carolina - are already bracing for heavy surf and high winds.

The authorities there have ordered a mandatory evacuation of Hatteras Island, warning that the main highway linking Hatteras to other islands could become impassable.

Forecasters have also warned of dangerous rip tides which could affect the entire US East Coast.

Bryson DeChambeau, Russell Henley and Harris English have secured the final three automatic qualifying places on the US Ryder Cup team.

They join world number one Scottie Scheffler, US Open champion JJ Spaun and Xander Schauffele on captain Keegan Bradley's team for next month's contest against Europe at Bethpage, New York.

The six American qualifiers were confirmed following the conclusion of the last qualifying event, the BMW Championship, which was won by reigning US PGA Championship and Open champion Scheffler.

DeChambeau, who plays on the LIV Golf circuit, qualified thanks to three top-10 finishes in the majors this year.

Bradley will announce his six captain's picks to complete the 12-man team on 27 August.

There is a chance that Bradley, 39, could pick himself to play after he finished in a tie for 17th at the BMW Championship, to cement 10th place in the US Ryder Cup standings.

Arnold Palmer was the Ryder Cup's last playing captain, when he led the US team, aged 34, in 1963.

Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa were among those to miss out on automatic qualification for the US team.

Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy and Andrew Novak are the other three Americans in the top-12, but none have appeared at a Ryder Cup before and Bradley may opt for the experience of Patrick Cantlay, who is 15th on the list but has picked up 5½ points in two previous appearances.

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre finished second to Scheffler in Maryland despite leading by four shots going into the final day.

But that was enough to see him join Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in qualifying for the European team.

The other three automatic slots are currently filled by Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry with the standings finalised after this week's British Masters at the Belfry.

Captain Luke Donald will make his picks for the six other places on 1 September.

One player who maybe in contention is former Masters champion Jon Rahm, who was crowned LIV Golf individual champion for the second consecutive year despite not winning an event.

LIV golfers can only qualify through ranking points earned through the four majors and Rahm is currently 23rd in the European rankings.

Europe will be aiming to defend their title when at the event from 26-28 September.

British number ones Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper will face each other in this week's new-look US Open mixed doubles event in New York.

Raducanu, 22, is partnering five-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz, while Draper, 23, will play with American Jessica Pegula after their original partners, Tommy Paul and Paula Badosa, both withdrew.

Organisers were heavily criticised in February after announcing that the mixed doubles competition would be a standalone event on 19-20 August - before the singles tournament begins on 24 August.

The 16 pairs involved will compete for $1m (£749,077) at Flushing Meadows.

Raducanu, who won the US Open title in 2021, and Spaniard Alcaraz have been handed a wildcard entry for the two-day tournament.

Before the event, Alcaraz, 22, is taking on world number one Jannik Sinner for the fourth time this season, in the final of the Cincinnati Open in Ohio on Monday.

Italian Sinner, 24, who is also a wildcard entrant, has been re-paired with Czech Katerina Siniakova after his partner, American Emma Navarro, withdrew.

Draper and Pegula, meanwhile, have qualified directly and have been given the top seeding, because both players are inside the top five in the singles rankings.

The first two rounds will take place on Tuesday and the semi-finals and final will be played on Wednesday.

Just four games will be required to win a set in matches before the final, with no-advantage scoring (four points will be needed to win a game) and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout.

Nottingham Forest have signed Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo on a five-year contract for a reported £26m.

Frenchman Kalimuendo, 23, scored 18 goals in 34 appearances last season as Rennes finished 12th in Ligue 1.

Forest had already spent about £144m on six players in the summer transfer window before making this signing.

Over the weekend, they also bought winger Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich Town for £37.5m and spent close to £30m on Manchester City midfielder James McAtee.

This came after manager Nuno Espirito Santo had questioned the club's transfer process on Friday, feeling his squad is ill-equipped to handle a European campaign.

Forest comfortably beat Brentford 3-1 at the City Ground in their opening Premier League game of the season on Sunday.

Kalimuendo joins Botafogo striker Igor Jesus as competition and support for forward Chris Wood in Espirito Santo's side. Brazil international Jesus, 24, was bought for a reported £10m fee in July.

Spain and Portugal fires kill two more as Spanish troops battle blazes

23 minutes ago Share Save Danai Nesta Kupemba BBC News Share Save

Anadolu via Getty Images Across Europe several countries have been battling wildfires

Spain has sent 500 more troops to fight raging wildfires, bringing the total deployed to 1,900, as the death toll from the blazes has risen to four. On Sunday, a firefighter died after an accident during firefighting efforts when his truck fell down a steep hill, the Castile and León regional government said. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed "sadness" and "desolation" on X at the latest death. In neighbouring Portugal, where fires are also blazing, another firefighter was killed on Sunday in a "tragic" traffic accident, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said. Fires have also broken out in Greece, France, Turkey and the Balkans as a heatwave has scorched swathes of southern Europe.

Several large fires are still burning in the northwest and west of Spain, where 27,000 residents are currently evacuated from their homes. Castile and León is the most affected area, with local media station Radio 5 reporting on Monday that the air is "unbreathable" due to the smoke. A fire in the western province of Cáceres is also still out of control and has burned 11,000 hectares (27,181 acres). Twelve fires are burning in the north-west region of Galicia, most in the province of Ourense, with the largest having burned 17,500 hectares. Fires on Sunday left at least five people injured in Castile and León, with four of them in critical condition. Last week, two volunteers died fighting fires in Leon. Another man died in Tres Cantos, near Madrid, after a fire broke out. This year alone, about 343,000 hectares have burned across Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) - close to double the amount from the previous year. Over the weekend, Spain's Civil Guard said they have proposed "sanctions" on four people for carrying out unauthorised burns in A Coruña in the Galicia region. Causing a wildfire is a criminal offence in Spain, even if accidental.

AFP via Getty Images People in Spain have been forced to flee their homes to evade the flames

Stadium ban for man bailed in Semenyo racism probe

Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused during the opening match of the Premier League season

A man who was arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during the opening match of the Premier League season at Anfield has been banned from every football stadium in the UK.

The Cherries' Friday game against Liverpool was briefly halted in the 29th minute after Semenyo flagged it up to the referee.

A 47-year-old man from Liverpool, who was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, has been conditionally bailed, Merseyside Police said.

The conditions include a ban on attending any regulated football match in the UK and not going within one mile of a designated football stadium.

Meta investigated over AI having 'sensual' chats with children

26 minutes ago Share Save Charlotte Edwards Technology reporter, BBC News Share Save

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A US senator is opening an investigation into Meta after a leaked document reportedly showed the tech giant's artificial intelligence (AI) was permitted to have "sensual" and "romantic" chats with children. The internal document, obtained by Reuters, was reportedly titled "GenAI: Content Risk Standards". Republican Senator Josh Hawley called the document "reprehensible and outrageous" and has asked to see the document alongside a list of products it relates to. A Meta spokesperson told the BBC: "The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed."

They said the tech giant has "clear policies" on what responses its AI chatbots can offer, and said its policies "prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors". "Separate from the policies, there are hundreds of examples, notes, and annotations that reflect teams grappling with different hypothetical scenarios," they said. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, announced he was probing Meta in a post on X on 15 August. "Is there anything - ANYTHING - Big Tech won't do for a quick buck," he said. "Now we learn Meta's chatbots were programmed to carry on explicit and "sensual" talk with 8 year olds. It's sick. I'm launching a full investigation to get answers. Big Tech: Leave our kids alone." Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram are all owned by Meta.

'Parents deserve the truth'

Melbourne-born Oscar Piastri will have his own grandstand at next year's Australian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old is leading this season's drivers' championship by nine points from McLaren team-mate Lando Norris with 10 races to go.

Piastri has already won more grands prix in a single season than any other Australian driver since the world championship started in 1950, with six so far in 2025.

"It feels very surreal and I never thought this would happen, but the support is incredible and I can't wait to see it all come together next March," he said on X., external

The grandstand will be on the main straight, opposite the pit lane.

"Seeing all the fans in my own grandstand directly opposite the McLaren garage is going to be an amazing experience and I'm really looking forward to feeling the energy and the atmosphere," he added.

The season-opening race at Albert Park in Melbourne takes place from 6-8 March 2026.

Piastri, who has eight career victories in total but has yet to make the podium in three attempts in Australia, joins the growing list of drivers on the grid with dedicated grandstands.

Norris and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton each have stands at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, with Hamilton's located along the main start-finish straight and Norris' 'Landostands' at Stowe Corner.

Four-time title winner Max Verstappen has grandstands named after him across the European leg of the F1 calendar, including his home Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Other Australian drivers to be given the honour of a grandstand at Albert Park include three-time world champion Jack Brabham, 1980 title-winner Alan Jones, plus Daniel Ricciardo and Mark Webber.

Arne Slot's Liverpool have brought in attacking reinforcements but the balance of their side looks off. Against Bournemouth, they were bright going forward but looked susceptible to conceding on the break.

Last season, Liverpool only conceded two goals from fast breaks all season. In the first game of this season, they equalled that number.

So what has changed for Liverpool?

The personnel informs how tactics are executed and Slot pointed towards sloppy passing in midfield as a reason Liverpool were so exposed. These misplaced passes gave the opposition time and space against a disorganised defensive shape while attacking the centre of the pitch.

This is more dangerous than losing the ball in the wide areas as attackers are closer to goal, in better shooting positions.

Although Slot focuses mainly on the sloppy passing and dispossessions in midfield, it is objectively true that Liverpool committed many bodies to their attack. At times, there were seven or eight players in and around Bournemouth's box, leaving Liverpool with very few players back to defend.

For Antoine Semenyo's second goal, both Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson were attacking in the opposition's box so were unable to get back to defend the counter-attack when the ball was lost.

Yes, decision-making and passing quality needs to be better but Slot may need to tweak the positions of the full-backs or central midfielders when Liverpool are attacking for additional protection against dangerous counter-attacking sides.

Arne Slot's Liverpool have brought in attacking reinforcements but the balance of their side looks off. Against Bournemouth, they were bright going forward but looked susceptible to conceding on the break.

Last season, Liverpool only conceded two goals from fast breaks all season. In the first game of this season, they equalled that number.

So what has changed for Liverpool?

The personnel informs how tactics are executed and Slot pointed towards sloppy passing in midfield as a reason Liverpool were so exposed. These misplaced passes gave the opposition time and space against a disorganised defensive shape while attacking the centre of the pitch.

This is more dangerous than losing the ball in the wide areas as attackers are closer to goal, in better shooting positions.

Although Slot focuses mainly on the sloppy passing and dispossessions in midfield, it is objectively true that Liverpool committed many bodies to their attack. At times, there were seven or eight players in and around Bournemouth's box, leaving Liverpool with very few players back to defend.

For Antoine Semenyo's second goal, both Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson were attacking in the opposition's box so were unable to get back to defend the counter-attack when the ball was lost.

Yes, decision-making and passing quality needs to be better but Slot may need to tweak the positions of the full-backs or central midfielders when Liverpool are attacking for additional protection against dangerous counter-attacking sides.