Unauthorised traveller sites expanding as population grows
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The number of unauthorised Gypsy and traveller sites is on the rise, with developments often carried out over Bank Holiday weekends.
Since April, sites in Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and elsewhere have been transformed, prompting legal battles and local dismay.
In January, the number of unauthorised traveller caravans – those without planning permission – across England stood at 4,950, a 73% increase on January 2020's figure of 2,860.
The summer count also shows a rise, of 44% between July 2019 and July 2025, from 3,113 to 4,471.
A senior councillor in one affected area warns there has been a "loss of control" of the planning system, while villagers living near one site likened its rapid construction to a "military operation".
The government says unauthorised development is "totally unacceptable" and that councils have "strong powers" to tackle it.
But Cliff Codona, who founded and chairs the National Travellers' Action Group, says the planning system is like a "big dagger in their back" for travellers, leaving them no option but to "break the law".
So what do travellers say is driving some to act unlawfully, and what do others think?
Formula E: Taylor Barnard on the end-of-season races in London
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Making split-second decisions while driving up to 200mph probably seems like a crazy task for most of us.
But Britain's youngest Formula E driver is learning to take it in his stride as his second season in the series draws to a close.
Back in 2024, Taylor Barnard became the youngest person to start an E-Prix and since then he's broken several other records - including becoming the youngest driver to secure a podium, pole and points in the sport.
So what's the 22-year-old got his sights set on now? The ultimate title, of course, world champion.
Barnard tells BBC Newsbeat he feels he got into racing by the "skin of my teeth", due to the extreme costs it takes to climb the motorsport ladder.
The immense financial backing needed to become a professional driver has been long known, with stars like Sir Lewis Hamilton speaking openly about the sacrifices his family made to get him a seat in Formula 1.
And Barnard feels if he was trying to climb the ranks now, he wouldn't make it due to prices being "so blown out of proportion".
Leavitt and Ocasio-Cortez spark conversation on challenges of family and career
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Last summer, Representative Sara Jacobs would run up to her office to give herself injections of hormones before rushing back to Congress for a session with her fellow lawmakers.
The shots were for the second round of freezing her eggs, a medical procedure that can give women more time to have children.
"It was an empowering decision that gave me more agency," the 37-year-old said, adding that the process was challenging.
"Your body hurts. Your hormones are crazy. It's kind of like puberty and menopause at the same time," she said.
Jacobs announced she was beginning the egg freezing process in 2021, at a time where she said few lawmakers were discussing the topic in the halls of Congress. The process - which can cost more than $10,000 and is rarely covered by insurance - involves doctors harvesting eggs from the ovaries and freezing them for a future pregnancy.
This week, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced she too was beginning the process of freezing her eggs, documenting the daily mechanics of giving herself hormone shots on social media.
Men are turning to penis fillers, but are they safe?
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Jason didn't want a "Coke can" – that's the nickname for a penis that has been enlarged with so much filler it resembles a stubby drink can.
"Some people go really overboard," Jason tells me when we meet in Manchester.
His procedure increased the girth of his penis by 16% - an amount he, and his partner, are really happy with. He says it has given him a "self-confidence boost".
"Everything still functions" as normal, Jason explains - just with "that extra little bit of width".
It is not clear how many men like Jason are having penis fillers. And you can't walk down the street and get a sense of it in the way you can visibly see the popularity of lip fillers. There is little regulation and there are no official records as anybody can start offering the procedure.
Penis fillers even became the topic of a bizarre conspiracy theory at the last Winter Olympics. Male ski jumpers were rumoured to be using fillers to increase the surface area of their suits so they could jump further.
However, some men have ended up in A&E with a penis turning black and skin "sloughing off" after a botched procedure. And the British Association of Urological Surgeons has issued warnings to men having these procedures.
So why are men doing it and what are the risks?
From making friends to managing money: Students' advice for this year's freshers
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Journalism student Kieran Miller was worried about money, but he compared student bank accounts and chose one that gave him a free 16-25 Railcard, and signed up for student discount schemes.
Though it might be exciting to see your first maintenance loan payment hit your bank account in one big lump sum, Kieran, 19, says you need to remember it has to last until the next instalment.
With the help of his mum, Kieran, from Swansea, made a provisional budget before moving away, but warns that it's easy to get caught up in the student experience and spend more than you planned to.
"When you start uni and you're living away from your family and you've got this new sense of freedom it was also really difficult to stay strict financially because you want to make mates with people," he says. "Someone might invite you to go for food or to go for a drink - and you're like, 'I don't really want to say no because this is a chance to connect with someone.'"
As well as student loans, most universities offer a variety of scholarships and bursaries, and it's worth checking whether you're eligible.
The influencers getting bitten chasing the perfect shark shot
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Incidents of sharks biting humans are incredibly rare, but at least three influencers have been bitten by the animals in less than a year. Scientists say they're increasingly concerned about the rise in social media videos showing people swimming too close to sharks, touching or even riding them.
"I'm seeing these videos every single week now and it's way more than it ever used to be," says shark scientist Kristian Parton, who also hosts the 'Shark Bytes' YouTube channel. "We're going to see people ending up in really serious incidents with sharks."
In July, a fishing influencer almost lost his leg after being attacked by a reef shark whilst spearfishing. In December, a Chinese content creator was bitten in the Maldives. Both incidents were caught on camera.
Researchers at the International Shark Attack File, which tracks human-shark interactions worldwide, have also told the BBC they've seen a marked increase in the past three years of people being bitten while trying to take footage with sharks.
A recent study of "swim with wildlife" expeditions, external found influencers and photographers were the most likely to ignore safety instructions.
In February last year, a tourist in the Caribbean had both hands bitten off while trying to get a photograph of a bull shark from the shallows, according to local authorities. Two months later, a snorkeller in Israel carrying a "selfie stick" was killed by sharks, reportedly while trying to get photographs.
The risk of being bitten by a shark remains extremely low: the number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide has remained broadly stable for the past 30 years, at about 70 bites per year.
While Tayane Dalazen was bitten by a nurse shark - known as a more docile species - some influencers have been filmed touching tiger sharks and even great whites.
"We're talking about a true apex predator, a very large wild animal," says Parton. "You wouldn't walk into the Serengeti and try and put your hand on the face of a lion."
Sharks will often use defensive or "exploratory" bites when presented by an unwelcome human in their personal space, he adds.
Human interactions can also cause stress to the animals. Scientific studies have shown that approaching or touching a shark leads to high levels of hormones called glucocorticoids. These can lead to a weakened immune system, increased mortality and aborted offspring.
"If you're approaching the shark and stressing it out, whether it be in a nursery habitat, a breeding ground, or a feeding area, you're depriving that shark of an area that's important to it to survive," explains Parton, "and that's definitely a problem."
One of the best-known shark content creators is Ocean Ramsey, a 38-year-old former model who shot to fame in 2019 after she was pictured swimming with one of the largest great white sharks ever seen.
Chart-topping game No 10: Full Confidence puts you in prime minister's shoes
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In No 10: Full Confidence, external, players who take on the precarious position of prime minister must balance the moods of four factions - their cabinet, backbenchers, the media, and the public - to remain in the game. Decisions are made across more than 300 fictional political scenarios, handwritten by Brewis.
The storylines range from the mundane - dealing with GP appointment waiting times - to the absurd.
"I have a two or three-part storyline where a dog is let loose into the House of Lords by a lobbyist during a vet bill and that spirals out of control," Brewis said.
Each scenario asks players to pick one action from three choices on the screen, with each potentially upsetting or pleasing the different factions.
Much like in real life, if one side completely turns against you your political career is finished.
While some situations may sound farcical, Brewis said he had plenty of real life examples to draw on as inspiration.
"I'd remember that MP who had a spider that he'd threaten MPs with, or when Boris Johnson walked into a fridge. I'm frantically writing them all down."
Why is Australia's mushroom killer back in court this week?
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Australian woman Erin Patterson was found guilty last year of murdering three relatives and attempting to kill one other by serving them a meal containing death cap mushrooms.
She was sentenced to life in prison, but now she's back in court this week trying to get her conviction overturned.
The BBC's Australia correspondent Katy Watson recaps the case and explains some of the reasons why Patterson has chosen to appeal.
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