Pope Francis’s condition continues to be “critical” after suffering a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis” earlier on Saturday, the Vatican has said.

The pontiff is “more unwell than yesterday” and had received blood transfusions, the statement said.

The Vatican said the 88-year-old was alert and in his armchair, but required a “high flow” of oxygen and his prognosis “remains guarded”.

The Pope is being treated for pneumonia in both lungs at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

The blood transfusions were deemed necessary due to a low platelet count, associated with anaemia, the Vatican said.

“The Holy Father’s condition remains critical,” a statement said. “The Pope is not out of danger.”

“The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair even if he was suffering more than yesterday,” the statement added.

The Pope has asked for openness about his health, so the Vatican has begun releasing daily statements. The tone, and length, of the announcements has varied, sometimes leaving Pope-watchers to attempt to read between the lines.

But this is by far the starkest assessment yet and it is unusually detailed. It declines to give any prognosis.

It comes just a day after doctors treating the Pope said for the first time that he was responding to medication, although they were clear that his condition was complex. They said on Friday that the slightest change of circumstance would upset what was called a “delicate balance”.

“He is the Pope,” as one of them put it. “But he is also a man.”

The Pope was first admitted to hospital on 14 February after experiencing difficulties breathing for several days.

He is especially prone to lung infections due to developing pleurisy – an inflammation around the lungs – as an adult and having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21.

During his 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic church, the Argentine has been hospitalised several times including in March 2023 when he spent three nights in hospital with bronchitis.

The latest news will worry Catholics worldwide, who are following news of the Pope’s condition closely.

It is a busy Jubilee year for the Catholic Church with huge numbers of visitors expected in Rome and a major schedule of events for the Pope. He is not known for enjoying being inactive. Even in hospital, his doctors say he went to pray in the chapel this week and had been reading in his chair.

But even before the latest setback, the Vatican had said he would not appear in public to lead prayer with pilgrims on Sunday, meaning he will miss the event for the second week in a row.

Well-wishers have been leaving candles, flowers and letters for the Pope outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital all week. There was no change outside St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Saturday evening, however, with no crowd gathering.

But people passing through the square said they were following the news.

“We feel very close to the Pope, here in Rome,” one Italian man told the BBC. “We saw the latest, and we are worried.”

Israel says it is indefinitely delaying the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, in another potentially major setback in the ceasefire process.

It came after six Israeli hostages, including four kidnapped during the 7 October 2023 deadly Hamas attack on Israel, were released on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the release of the Palestinian prisoners was now going to be delayed until the next handover of hostages by Hamas was guaranteed – and without what he called the degrading ceremonies that Hamas has put on each week.

There’s only one more handover of hostages due in the first phase of the ceasefire, involving four of the hostages who’ve died in captivity.

No arrangements for the release of other living hostages, due to take place in phase two of the ceasefire, have yet been made.

Mediators will be working overtime to try to get the deal back on track and avert a possible collapse of the ceasefire.

Netanyahu accused Hamas of “repeated violations”, including the “cynical use of the hostages for propaganda purposes”.

His statement came after four hostages who were taken captive during the Nova music festival – Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert – were released on Saturday.

The two other released hostages, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, were held in Gaza for years – Mr Mengistu since 2014 and Mr al-Sayed since 2015.

The six Israeli hostages are the final living hostages to be returned as part of the first phase of a ceasefire deal which is set to end next Saturday.

Meanwhile outside the Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, family and friends waited for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

An 80-year-old mother in Khan Younis, Gaza, told the AFP news agency that she “can’t believe” her son would be free after 33 years in prison.

By the evening, Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement by delaying the release.

There was no immediate response from Hamas to Netanyahu’s statement.

• What we know about the Gaza ceasefire deal
• Israel and the Palestinians: History of the conflict explained

According to Palestinian authorities, 50 of the prisoners who were going to be released were serving life sentences, 60 had long sentences, and 445 were detained by Israel since 7 October.

There are 62 hostages taken on 7 October 2023 who are still being held by Hamas, around half of whom are believed to be alive. More are set to be freed in the next phase of the three-stage ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which is scheduled to start on 1 March.

Hamas began releasing hostages, facilitated by the Red Cross, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners after the ceasefire agreement took effect on 19 January.

Initial chaotic scenes have become more choreographed, with hostages flanked by fighters on stages before the handovers.

On Saturday, Mr Shoham, 40, and Mr Mengistu, 39, were passed to the Red Cross in Rafah, south Gaza before being transferred to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Mr Shoham was visiting family at Kibbutz Be’eri in October 2023 when he and others, including his wife and two children, were kidnapped by Hamas. His captured family members were released after 50 days.

In a statement, his family said: “This is an unforgettable moment, where all emotions are rapidly mixing together. Our Tal is with us.”

Mr Mengistu, who is Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held by Hamas since September 2014 when he crossed into northern Gaza.

He and Mr al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab Israeli who entered Gaza in 2015, had both suffered with mental health problems in the past, according to their families.

Mr al-Sayed’s release was conducted privately in Gaza City on Saturday.

“After nearly a decade of fighting for Hisham’s return, the long-awaited moment has arrived,” his family said in a statement.

“During these days, we need privacy for Hisham and the entire family so we can begin to care for Hisham and ourselves.”

Separately, at Nuseirat in central Gaza, Mr Shem Tov, 22, Mr Cohen, 27, and Mr Wenkert, 23, were freed in another public show by Hamas.

All three were taken captive at the Nova music festival.

Mr Shem Tov had initially escaped by car when Hamas fighters descended on the festival, but was captured when he went back to rescue his friends.

Mr Cohen had hid with his girlfriend, Ziv Abud, in a shelter at the festival, but was discovered and driven away. The shelter was bombed, but Ms Abud survived and escaped.

Mr Wenkert managed to send text messages to his family when festival-goers were being attacked, to tell them he was going to a safe shelter, but they lost contact with him.

Crowds in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square greeted the public releases with cheers as they watched them unfold on a live feed.

Families celebrating the return of the six men called for all remaining hostages to be released.

“Our only request is to seize this window of opportunity to secure a deal that will… return all hostages home,” Mr Shoham’s family said.

Remaining hostages include Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier captured on 7 October.

His mother, Yael Alexander, who was watching Saturday’s hostage release, told the BBC it was “amazing” to see them freed, but for her family it is “very tough” waiting.

“There are more than dozens of young men alive, like my son, still waiting to be released,” she said. “This is the main goal, to release the live people now from Gaza.”

Saturday’s joyful scenes contrasted with earlier this week, when the bodies of hostages Shiri Bibas, her two young sons and another captive Oded Lifschitz were returned to Israel.

About 1,200 people – mostly civilians – were killed in the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages.

Israel launched a massive military campaign against Hamas in response, which has killed at least 48,319 Palestinians – mainly civilians – according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

One person has been killed and three police officers injured in a knife attack in the eastern French city of Mulhouse.

A 37-year-old Algerian man was arrested at the scene and the prosecutor has opened a terrorist inquiry because the suspect reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar”, or “God is great”.

The man injured two police officers seriously, one in the neck and one in the chest. A 69-year-old Portuguese man who tried to intervene was stabbed and killed.

The suspect was subject to a deportation order because he was on a terrorism watch list, according to the local prosecutor. President Emmanuel Macron said there was “no doubt it was an Islamist terrorist attack”.

After expressing his condolences to the family of the victim, Macron said: “I want to reiterate the determination of the government, and mine, to continue the work to eradicate terrorism on our soil.”

The incident took place at a demonstration in support of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the police officers were on patrol.

“Horror has seized our city,” Mulhouse mayor Michele Lutz said on Facebook.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou posted on X that “fanaticism has struck again and we are in mourning”.

“My thoughts naturally go to the victims and their families, with the firm hope that the injured will recover,” he said.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is expected to visit the scene on Saturday evening.

Donald Trump made a lot of promises while running for president. He pledged to cut taxes, reduce prices, stem undocumented migration, raise revenue and strengthen American industry with new tariffs and end wars.

Some of his proposals were detailed by his policy team or presented by Trump himself, in “Agenda 47” videos on his campaign website. Others were offered seemingly off-the-cuff – a product of Trump’s “think out loud” style and openness to adopting ideas others had suggested to him.

In his victory speech on 6 November, he made it clear he intended to keep the promises that sent him back to the White House: “I will govern by a simple motto: Promises made, promises kept.”

It’s become a slogan of sorts in his first month in office, which has been marked by a blizzard of activity and notable progress in achieving some of his goals.

In areas such as immigration and foreign policy, Trump has broad power to act unilaterally – and has done so. In other areas, he has run up against legal challenges and political obstacles. Many of the other promises he’s made will ultimately require action from Congress, under narrow Republican control, to become permanent.

Here’s a look at some of Trump’s biggest first-day vows and his efforts to turn them into reality.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

This is perhaps his biggest challenge, given how often inflation topped the list of voters’ priorities during the election campaign. In his inaugural address, Trump promised to “marshal the vast powers” of his Cabinet to rapidly bring down costs and prices, but it’s unclear how. One way, he says, is by increasing drilling to reduce energy costs.

A steep price rise in January, the biggest monthly increase for 16 months, has complicated Trump’s task. He blamed Joe Biden, who left office on 20 January, and Democratic spending. “I had nothing to do with it,” said Trump.

At other times, however, he has admitted it’s hard for US presidents to control prices. But economists warn some of his policies could fuel inflation and polling suggests voters would like to see him doing more.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

Immigration has perhaps been Trump’s main focus since taking power, with more than a dozen executive orders aimed at overhauling the system. His plan to deport foreign nationals in the country illegally, starting with those convicted of crimes, seems to have widespread public support.

But it is uncertain whether he will meet his promise to deport so many. A few raids have made headlines but the number of people being removed does not seem to be record-breaking, according to the daily figures.

In his first month in office, the US deported 37,660 people – less than the monthly average of 57,000 removals and returns in the last full year of Joe Biden’s administration, data obtained by Reuters shows.

A DHS spokesperson told the agency that Biden-era deportation numbers were higher because illegal immigration was higher. Nationwide border encounters decreased 66% in January compared to 2024, according to the White House.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

True to his word, hours after taking the presidential oath, Trump issued pardons and commutations that paved the way for the release of more than 1,500 people convicted or charged in connection with the US Capitol riot. A police officer who was punched that day told the BBC the pardons were a “slap in the face”.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

Trump has initiated the first talks between the US and Russia since the start of the war, but Ukraine has vowed to reject any deal hatched without it, and there’s been an angry exchange between leaders. President Volodymyr Zelensky fears the US president delivering on his campaign promise to end the war but on Moscow’s terms and with no security guarantees. There is also anxiety in European capitals that they are being sidelined, and that Trump may dismantle some of the sanctions imposed on Russia as punishment for the invasion.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

In one of the first acts of his second presidency, Trump ordered an end to an automatic right to American citizenship currently received by nearly anybody born on US soil. Birthright citizenship is not the norm around the world, and Trump’s move targets those who are in the US illegally or on temporary visas.

Opponents say the plan interferes with a right that was established by an amendment to the US Constitution nearly 160 years ago. And the issue could be heading for the Supreme Court – the highest in America – after an appeals court ruled against Trump, upholding a legal block on his plan.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

Trump announced on 21 January that he would levy blanket tariffs on his neighbours on 1 February, linking them to the flow of drugs and migrants into the US. The president has long seen tariffs, which are a tax on imports, as a way to protect domestic industry and increase revenue. Canada and Mexico said they would enact retaliatory taxes on US imports. But Trump delayed starting the tariffs for one month, after promises by both countries to increase border enforcement. There had also been volatility in the markets and warnings from economic experts that these actions could cause prices to rise.

• All you need to know about Trump presidency
• Is Trump right about unfair trade?
• Fact-checking Trump claims about Ukraine
• What is Doge and why is Musk cutting so many jobs?

US government workers received an email on Saturday afternoon asking them to list their accomplishments from the past week or resign – the latest development in the Trump administration’s efforts targeting the federal workforce.

The email came after billionaire Trump confidante Elon Musk tweeted that employees would “shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week”.

“Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” he wrote.

Musk has been leading an outside effort to aggressively curtail government spending through funding cuts and firings.

The email arrived in inboxes shortly after Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac). The messages came with the subject line “What did you do last week?” from a sender listed as HR.

The Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s human resources agency, confirmed the email was authentic in a statement to CBS, the BBC’s US news partner.

“As part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce, OPM is asking employees to provide a brief summary of what they did last week by the end of Monday, CC’ing their manager. Agencies will determine any next steps.”

In a copy of the email obtained by the BBC, employees were asked to explain their accomplishments from the past week in five bullet points – without disclosing classified information – before midnight on Monday.

The message did not mention whether a failure to respond would be considered a resignation.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal employees, criticised the message as “cruel and disrespectful” and vowed to challenge any “unlawful terminations” of federal employees.

“Once again, Elon Musk and the Trump Administration have shown their utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people,” Everett Kelley, union president, said in a statement.

Newly-confirmed FBI director Kash Patel told his employees in an email that they should “pause any responses” to the OPM memo.

“FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information,” Patel wrote in a message obtained by CBS News. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with the FBI procedures.”

Earlier in the day, Trump touted cuts and told a crowd of supporters at Cpac that the work of federal employees had been inadequate because some of them work remotely at least some of the time.

“We’re removing all of the unnecessary, incompetent and corrupt bureaucrats from the federal workforce,” the president told the crowd at the annual conference in suburban Washington on Saturday afternoon.

“We want to make government smaller, more efficient,” he added. “We want to keep the best people, and we’re not going to keep the worst people.”

Elon Musk’s team has exacted wide-ranging changes to the US federal infrastructure, with approval from the White House, through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

Thousands of government employees at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as other agencies, have been fired in recent weeks.

The email mirrors Musk’s handling of employees after he acquired social media platform Twitter in 2022. As the staff there shrunk under his ownership, he issued ultimatums that included a now-infamous request to commit to being “extremely hardcore” at work or resign.

Trump has repeatedly applauded Musk’s government-cutting measures.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said that Musk is doing a “great job” in reducing the size of the federal government and that he would like to see him “get more aggressive” in the pursuit.

The last time India and Pakistan clashed in a major ICC 50-over contest was in 2023, at the highly anticipated World Cup league match in Ahmedabad.

As a contest, it turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax – India, in dominant form, comfortably chased down a subpar Pakistan target, securing a resounding victory.

And as Pakistani fans didn’t get visas to travel to India, aside from the cricket team, the country’s only notable presence was in the media centre.

Sunday’s ICC Champions Trophy clash between the arch-rivals at Dubai International Stadium promises a vastly different atmosphere.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) reported that tickets sold out within minutes – and with the UAE hosting more than 3.7 million Indians and nearly 1.7 million Pakistanis, a vibrant and well-represented crowd from both nations is all but guaranteed.

But can a sea of green flags in the stands inspire Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan’s men to defy the odds in this must-win clash against Rohit Sharma’s India?

Pakistan can take comfort in their strong head-to-head record in UAE – 19 wins in 28 ODIs, plus a lone T20I victory in the 2021 World Cup in Dubai.

Most of Pakistan’s wins against India came at Sharjah during their dominant run in the 1980s and ’90s, winning 18 of 24 games there.

In Dubai, India beat them twice in the 2018 Asia Cup, while both teams won a game each in a 2006 Abu Dhabi series.

Since Pakistan’s glory days in Sharjah, the tide has shifted – apart from the occasional T20I win, India has largely dominated in the new millennium.

Veteran cricket writer Ayaz Memon feels there is no reason to look at India-Pakistan clashes in the UAE through the prism of the past.

”There is no doubt that Pakistan enjoyed tremendous crowd support in the Sharjah days, with the local Pathan population making up the numbers. However, the team then boasted of the likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Saeed Anwar, Aamer Sohail and the two Ws [Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis],” Memon says.

“Compare that to the state of the current team, which comes up with some exceptional results from time to time but lacks any form of consistency.”

The glitzy, ever-expanding United Arab Emirates city-state of Dubai offers little sign of a major cricket event – there are no welcome banners at the airport.

Instead, hoardings of Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and company dominate, as the city is in full swing for the annual Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Head south, and the ‘Ring of Fire’ at Dubai International Stadium emerges from the highway, signalling cricket’s presence.

Towering images of all eight captains line the arena, but for the next two days, all eyes will be on Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Rizwan’s teams as fans worldwide await their fate.

It’s no secret that catering to broadcasters and marketing demands, the ICC consistently places India and Pakistan in the same group for major tournaments. This ensures at least one high-stakes league clash, with the potential for a blockbuster rematch in the knockouts.

At a time when cricket faces overexposure and its international structure is threatened by the rise of T20 franchise leagues, the India-Pakistan rivalry remains its biggest box-office draw.

A big plus about the tight, top-eight team format of the ICC Champions Trophy is that a little slip-up can cost even the heavyweights dear.

”The 50-over World Cup gives you a chance to pull back even if you stumble in the odd game as there are 10 games in the fray. It’s much different here where all three of your group matches are important to proceed to the semi-finals,” India captain Sharma said on the eve of their opening match against Bangladesh.

India cleared their first hurdle with a six-wicket win against Bangladesh on Thursday, powered by Shubman Gill’s classy century (cementing his status as a future ODI captain), Mohammed Shami’s five-wicket haul and a quickfire cameo from skipper Sharma, who crossed the 11,000-run mark in the format.

Jasprit Bumrah’s absence – expected as he recovers from a back spasm sustained in the final Test in Australia – remains a talking point. However, on this wicket, the spotlight is set to shift to the spinners.

Pakistan’s lead-up to the tournament has been a rollercoaster – both unpredictable and vulnerable. Their last three ODIs paint the picture perfectly.

Ten days ago, Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha’s stunning 260-run stand powered Pakistan to a record 353-run chase against South Africa in Karachi, securing a spot in the Tri-series final.

But just two days later, they faltered, looking ordinary as New Zealand cruised to a five-wicket win, denying them a confidence boosting title ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Then on Wednesday, after their bowlers made early inroads, they let the Kiwis off the hook, eventually crashing to a 60-run defeat in their tournament opener.

This has put their backs against the wall ahead of the big game – and what has irked former Pakistan greats is captain Rizwan’s statement that they will take the India match as “just another game”.

History shows that Pakistan thrives in such situations, echoing Imran Khan’s legendary “caged tigers” rallying cry from their triumphant 1992 World Cup campaign.

Yes, the odds favour India, but Pakistan can never be written off on UAE soil. After all, it’s a new day, a fresh battle, and anything can happen in a big game.

Germans go to the polls on Sunday, after an intense election campaign dominated by their country’s faltering economy and a succession of deadly attacks that have made migration and security a focal issue.

Friedrich Merz, the 69-year-old conservative leader, is in pole-position to become Germany’s next chancellor, in a vote closely watched in Europe and the US.

He promises to fix most problems in four years – a tall order for Europe’s biggest economy and a creaking infrastructure.

If Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) win, he will need to forge an alliance with at least one other party, most likely Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, whose government collapsed late last year.

On the eve of the vote, Merz was adamant there would be no deal with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is poised to become the second biggest political force, ahead of Scholz’s centre left.

Some 59.2 million Germans are eligible to vote, and while millions already have by post, polls indicate as many 20% were undecided ahead of election day.

The polls open at 08:00 (07:00 GMT) and close at 18:00, with a clear idea of a result during the evening.

Voters are energised by this pivotal election, and campaigning continued right through Saturday evening with a final debate on national TV – the ninth this month.

This is a watershed moment as Germany will have to make big decisions on the world stage as well as home.

Merz promises strong leadership in Europe, but Berlin is also under pressure to loosen the budget strings for its military.

As Ukraine’s second-biggest provider of military aid, Germany’s next new government will face a US president who has condemned President Volodymyr Zelensky as a dictator and fractured the West’s united front against Russia.

German political leaders have also been shocked by US Vice-President JD Vance, who has met the AfD’s candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, and called for an end to the long-standing taboo of talking to the far right.

In Germany, that taboo is known as a firewall or .

Merz was accused of breaking it last month when he used their support in parliament. Several German cities saw protests against the far-right on Saturday.

The AfD is already popular in several eastern states, but it is rapidly growing in the west too, attracting support among younger Germans via TikTok.

One Weidel campaign video has had four million views.

Her message is simple: Vote AfD, break the firewall and change German politics.

The AfD wants to leave the EU, scrap climate change measures, build nuclear power plants and repair gas lines and relations with Russia.

Find out more about Germany’s elections:

Who’s who and what you need to know

Merz: Risk-taker who flirted with far right

Katya Adler: Far right looks for breakthrough as Germany falters

Tensions laid bare as Germans worry about immigration

But its voice has been loudest on migration and security after five deadly attacks since last May, including three during the election campaign in Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg and Munich – and all allegedly carried out by immigrants.

A stabbing at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial on Friday night has kept the issue in the headlines. The victim survived, and police said the attacker was Syrian and his motive antisemitic.

The AfD has embraced a highly controversial policy called “remigration”, which it defines as deporting migrants who have committed crimes. But the term can also refer to the mass deportations of migrants and their descendants.

The anti-immigration party has already secured a foothold in parts of the west, especially in Germany’s old industrial heartland in the Ruhr valley.

In last summer’s European elections it won the vote in some northern areas of the city of Duisburg, with 20% in Marxloh, 25% in an adjacent area and 30% next door to that.

Marxloh is a vibrant district with a large immigrant community, known for its array of shops selling Turkish fashionwear for brides.

But it has also suffered extensively from the decline of the coal and steel industry and a lack of government investment.

In a park close to Marxloh’s remaining steelworks, five young men in their early 20s explained why they all planned to vote AfD.

“We’re young, we need work and they don’t give us a chance to find training,” one man complained.

“We’ve no money; everything’s more expensive; there aren’t many jobs any more and there’s so much dirt here.”

The AfD are not known for their social policies, but their message on security cuts through, and this group does not see the anti-immigration party as extreme.

“No, they’re just normal people.”

In the east it is the rural areas that the AfD does best, but in the west it is growing in cities that have lost their industrial base, says Prof Conrad Ziller of the University of Duisburg-Essen.

“Voices of people in favour of the AfD have become so loud, so if you’re in a doctor’s waiting room it’s really common to hear people chat about getting angry about the established politicians and government.”

Migration is the most common frustration, and he believes Weidel has capitalised on that by appearing so prominently in all the TV debates.

Often when the debate touched on the economy, social justice or inequality, Prof Ziller said “the AfD deflected it and said the main problem is not economics, it’s migration, and the government didn’t do a good job”.

While the opinion polls have been consistent about who is leading the race, some of the parties might not make it over the 5% threshold for the newly slimmed-down parliament.

The fewer parties that make it into the the 630-seat Bundestag, the more straightforward it will be to form a coalition with a majority.

The economic liberals, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), were in the outgoing government but they risk oblivion on Sunday along with left-wing populist party BSW.

The Left party, however, has seen a resurgence in recent days and pollsters suggest it will become the fifth largest party after the Greens.

Sir Keir Starmer will discuss the importance of Ukraine’s sovereignty in talks with Donald Trump next week, he said in a call with the country’s president.

The UK prime minister reiterated the UK’s “ironclad support” for Kyiv when he spoke to Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.

The two leaders held their second telephone conversation in four days following US President Trump’s decision to re-open relations with Russia and seek an end to the war in Ukraine.

Monday marks three years since Vladimir Putin’s invasion, which UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he will mark with further sanctions on Russia.

On Saturday, 2,000 people marched to the Russian embassy in west London , i n support of Ukraine ahead of the anniversary of the invasion.

According to a Downing Street spokesperson the prime minister also said “Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations to end the war” and it could be sure of “the UK’s commitment to securing a just and enduring peace to bring an end to Russia’s illegal war”.

Giving details about the phone call, Downing Street said Sir Keir and Zelensky “agreed that this was a significant moment for the future of Ukraine and European security at large”.

Sir Keir also told Zelensky “that safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty was essential to deter future aggression from Russia”.

The prime minister added “he would be progressing these important discussions in the coming days and weeks, including with Trump whilst visiting Washington DC next week”.

Zelensky said he had a productive talk with Sir Keir, with the pair coordinating “our military cooperation, joint steps, and engagements for the coming week, which will be very active”.

In a post on X, he wrote: “The UK and its people are among Ukraine’s biggest supporters, and we deeply appreciate this.”

Writing in the Sun Sir Keir said Trump was right that European nations must take greater responsibility for their security and increase defence spending.

“We have talked about this for long enough. Now it is time for action.

“President Trump is also right to grasp the nettle and see if a good peace deal is on the table.

“Every time I have spoken with him, I am struck by his commitment to peace,” he wrote.

Sir Keir also said Ukraine must have a voice in negotiations and needed strong security guarantees, adding: “I believe America must be part of that guarantee.”

• ‘Gruesome sell-out or a chance to lead’: What will happen when Starmer visits Trump?
• How Putin and Trump shook up the world in a week
• Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia
• ‘Trump hasn’t got any plan’: Russians speak to BBC after three years of war

In a separate call on Saturday Sir Keir spoke with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and they agreed Europe “must step up for the good of collective European security”, Downing Street said.

The UK foreign secretary said upcoming additional UK sanctions on Russia would erode President Putin’s “military machine”.

“I plan to announce the largest package of sanctions against Russia since the early days of the war,” Lammy said, ahead of Monday’s anniversary.

The UK will continue to work with the US and Europe to achieve “sustainable, just peace,” he added.

Sir Keir’s meeting with Trump on Thursday in Washington DC comes after a week which saw a flurry of summits and phone calls as European leaders scrambled to work out how to approach the US president’s sudden thawing of relations with Russia.

Ahead of visits to the White House by Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said the pair “haven’t done anything” to end the war in Ukraine.

He also said Zelensky had “no cards” in peace negotiations and that he did not think “he’s very important to be in meetings”.

But UK Defence Secretary John Healey wrote in The Sunday Times newspaper: “Any negotiations about Ukraine cannot happen without Ukraine. We all want the fighting to end, but an insecure peace risks more war.”

He added: “I’m proud of UK leadership and UK unity on Ukraine.”

Last Monday, European leaders held a hastily-arranged summit in Paris – a day before US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, and amid fears that Ukraine and Europe could be excluded from peace negotiations.

On Tuesday, Trump called Zelensky a “dictator” and said he should “never have started” the war, despite Russia invading Ukraine.

Zelensky responded by saying the US president was “living in a disinformation space” created by Russia.

On Saturday, people took to the streets of London in response to the US position on Ukraine, marching from outside the Ukrainian embassy to the Russian embassy.

Margaret Owen, 93, accused Trump of “appeasement”, saying she remembered the Munich Agreement in which western powers signed a deal with Hitler in the years before World War Two.

“It’s outrageous. We can’t let the world be dictated to by these two impossible people,” she said of Trump and Putin.

The chair of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, Emily Thornberry, was among the marchers and argued for a less aggressive approach. The Labour MP said: “We want to influence the US president and we agree there must be peace. Why shout at him?

“You’d get a short-term buzz from shouting at Trump but if you want to influence him, let’s try and influence him.”

“Ukraine needs to be at the table, you can’t decide the future of Ukraine without Ukraine there and you can’t just capitulate to Putin.

“They have to be invited into this process by the Americans and Russians.”

Ukrainian Oleksandra Udovenko, who is from Kyiv and studying in the UK, said: “I’m here to protect my country’s interests, my country’s independence, and my country’s choice and my country’s right to be independent of any empire in this world.”

A large asteroid known as 2024 YR4 has grabbed headlines this week as scientists first raised its chances of hitting earth, then lowered them.

The latest estimate says the object has a 0.28% chance of hitting Earth in 2032, significantly lower than the 3.1% chance earlier in the week.

Scientists say it is now more likely to smash into the Moon, with Nasa estimating the probability of that happening at 1%.

But in the time since 2024 YR4 was first spotted through a telescope in the desert in Chile two months ago, tens of other objects have passed closer to Earth than the Moon, which in astronomical terms sounds like a near miss.

It is likely that others, albeit much smaller, have hit us or burned up in the atmosphere but gone unnoticed.

This is the story of the asteroids that you never hear about – the fly-bys, the near-misses and the direct hits.

The vast majority are harmless. But some carry the most valuable clues for unlocking mysteries in our universe, information we are desperate to get our hands on.

Asteroids, also sometimes called minor planets, are rocky pieces left over from the formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.

Rocks routinely orbit close to Earth, pushed by the gravity of other planets.

For most of human history, it has been impossible to know how close we have come to being struck by a large asteroid.

Serious monitoring of objects near Earth only started in the late 20th century, explains Professor Mark Boslough from the University of New Mexico. “Before that we were blissfully oblivious to them,” he says.

We now know that quite large objects – 40m across or more – pass between Earth and the Moon several times a year. That’s the same size of asteroid that exploded over Siberia in 1908 injuring people and damaging buildings over 200 square miles.

The most serious near-miss, and the closest comparison with YR4, was an asteroid called Apophis which was first spotted in 2004 and measured 375 meters across, or around the size of a cruise ship.

Professor Patrick Michel from French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) tracked Apophis and recalls it was considered the most hazardous asteroid ever detected.

It took until 2013 to get enough observations to understand that it was not going to hit Earth.

But he says there was one big difference with YR4. “We didn’t know what to do. We discovered something, we determined an impact probability, and then thought, who do we call?” he says. Scientists and governments had no idea how to respond, he says.

A large asteroid strike could be catastrophic if it hits an area where humans live.

We don’t know exactly how big YR4 is yet, but if it is at the top end of estimates, about 90m across, it would likely remain substantially intact rather than break up as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.

“The surviving asteroid mass could create a crater. Structures in the immediate vicinity would likely be destroyed and people within the local region (dozens of kilometers) would be at risk of serious injury,” explains Professor Kathryn Kunamoto from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Some people could die.

But since Apophis, there have been huge advances in what is called planetary defence.

Prof Michel is part of the international Space Mission Planning Advisory Group.

Its delegates advise governments on how to respond to an asteroid threat and run rehearsal exercise for direct hits. There is one going on right now.

If the asteroid was on course for a town or city, Dr Boslough compares the response to preparations made for a major hurricane, including evacuations and measures to protect infrastructure.

The Space Mission Planning Advisory Group will meet again in April to decide what to do about YR4.

By then most scientists expect the risk to have almost entirely gone, as their calculations of its trajectory become more precise.

We do have options beyond “taking a hit”, as Dr Kumamoto puts it.

Nasa and the European Space Agency have developed technologies to nudge dangerous asteroids off course.

Nasa’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully slammed a spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos to change its path.

However scientists are sceptical if that would work in the case of YR4 due to uncertainty about what it is made of and the short window of time to successfully deflect it.

And what about the asteroids that do hit Earth? An awkward truth for scientists is that a direct strike on land far from humans is the ideal scenario for asteroids.

That gives them actual pieces from distant objects within of our solar system, as well as insights into Earth’s impact history.

Nearly 50,000 asteroids have been found in Antarctica. The most famous, called ALH 84001, is believed to have originated on Mars and contains minerals with vital evidence about the planet’s history, suggesting it was warm and had water on its surface billions of years ago.

In 2023 scientists detected an asteroid called 33 Polyhymnia which could have an element denser than anything found on Earth.

This superheavy element would be something entirely new to our planet. 33 Polyhymnia is at least 170 million kilometers away, but it’s an indication of the incredible potential of asteroids for our understanding of science.

Now that the chances are higher that YR4 will hit the Moon, some scientists are getting excited about that.

An impact could give real-world answers to questions they have only been able to simulate using computers.

“To have even one data point of a real example would be incredibly powerful,” says Prof Gareth Collins from Imperial College London.

“How much material comes out when the asteroid hits? How fast does it go? How far does that travel?” he asks.

It would help them test the scenarios they have modelled about asteroid impacts on Earth, helping create better predictions.

YR4 has reminded us that we live on a planet vulnerable to collisions with something the solar system is full of – rocks.

Scientists warn against complacency, saying it is a matter of when, not if, a large asteroid will threaten human life on Earth, although most expect that to be in the coming centuries rather than decades.

In the meantime, our ability to monitor space keeps improving. Later this year the largest digital camera ever built will begin working at the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile, able to capture the night sky in incredible detail.

And the closer and longer we look, the more asteroids spinning close to Earth we are likely to spot.

Over 95,000 people fighting for Russia’s military have now died as the war in Ukraine enters the fourth year, according to data analysed by the BBC.

This figure doesn’t include those who were killed serving in the militia of the self-proclaimed Donbas republics which we estimate to be between 21,000 and 23,500 fighters.

BBC Russian, independent media group Mediazona and volunteers have been counting deaths since February 2022.

The list includes names of the deceased that we verified using information from official reports, newspapers, social media, and new memorials and graves. The real death toll is believed to be much higher.

Daniil Dudnikov, a 21-year-old history student at Donetsk National University, was reading international relations and enjoyed swimming.

On the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on 24 February 2022, the authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic forcibly mobilised Daniil and despatched him to the Kharkiv region.

Just a month later, on 25 March, Daniil went missing in action. Of the 18 soldiers in his unit, none returned. 13 were killed, and five were taken prisoner. Four months later, following a prisoner exchange, those who had survived confirmed that Daniil had been one of the 13 killed in combat.

Daniil’s story mirrors those of thousands of other residents from the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, created in 2014 by Moscow-backed separatists in the predominantly Russian-speaking parts of eastern Ukraine.

With the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, civilian men were drafted en masse, often inadequately trained and poorly equipped before being assigned to near-impossible missions. This resulted in a staggering number of dead and missing soldiers, the fate of whom often remains unknown for months or years.

According to our analysis of published obituaries and missing persons reports from the regions, the majority of deaths in Donbass militias occurred during the first year of the invasion, a toll comparable to the total number of confirmed Russian military losses over the same period – 25,769 deaths.

Yet despite many people in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine having relatives or friends in Russia, they are far less integrated into the country’s everyday life, which makes their losses less “visible” to ordinary Russians.

Another large part of the Russian losses are convicts recruited in prisons.

Ildus Sadykov was 59 when he was arrested for stealing a bag at a railway station in Moscow. It was the fourth time he ended up in jail, having spent a total of 16 years behind bars for separate criminal convictions.

“They told me, ‘If you don’t want to go back to prison, sign a contract.’ They assured me that at my age, I wouldn’t be sent to the front, just assigned to an auxiliary role. Well, I went along with it.” He recalls, speaking as a prisoner of war after being captured by Ukrainian forces in the summer of 2024.

Following a prisoner exchange, he was returned to Russia, where he was sent back to the frontlines again. This month, Ildus Sadykov was killed in combat.

Currently, the BBC Russian database of war casualties includes 16,171 convicted criminals who were recruited from penal colonies to fight. These are just the cases in which we could verify criminal records through open sources. The actual number of deceased convicts is likely far higher.

By including an analysis of leaked documents from the Wagner Group private military company, we can estimate that prisoners may make up as much as a third of Russia’s military fatalities over the three years of the invasion. Many of these individuals lived in correctional facilities, effectively cut off from broader society, for years on end.

“The losses are felt most by segments of Russian society with fewer resources, be they educational, financial, or political,” says Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, director of the Russia Institute at King’s College London.

“The Kremlin seems to have designed it this way, ensuring that the most privileged sections of society remain largely disconnected from the war. Hence recruitment of prisoners and foreign mercenaries.”

“In small towns, people are far more aware of the scale of casualties. The war has hit social groups that lack the means not only to protest but even to express their views openly. Discussions are confined to private conversations,” she adds.

Only 30% of Russians have had direct exposure to the war, either by fighting in it or family connections to combatants, according to a public opinion poll from the Chronicles project in September 2024. The proportion of Ukrainians who know someone killed or wounded is almost 80%.

Measuring genuine support for the war in Russia is difficult, since many respondents fear speaking honestly. But a study commissioned by the PROPA project, supported by the University of Helsinki, found that 43% of surveyed Russians openly backed the invasion.

“Would public attitudes toward the war be different if more people personally knew the fallen?” asks leading Russian sociologist Viktor Vakhshtayn. “Without a doubt.”

Russia’s actual losses are almost certainly substantially higher than open-source data can reveal. The military analysts we have consulted estimate that the BBC’s research, which is based on graveyards, war memorials, and obituaries, probably captures only 45% to 65% of total casualties.

Added to which, the bodies of many of those killed in recent months likely remain on the battlefield, since retrieving them requires living soldiers to risk exposure to drone strikes.

Given the estimate above, the true number of Russian military deaths could range from 146,194 to 211,169. If one adds estimated losses from DPR and LPR forces, the total number of Russian-aligned fatalities may range from 167,194 to 234,669.

Russia last officially reported its military losses in September 2022, and cited fewer than 6,000 deaths.

Ukraine last updated its casualty figures in December 2024, when President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged 43,000 Ukrainian deaths among soldiers and officers. Western analysts believe this figure to be an under-estimate.

The website Ukraine Losses, which compiles casualty data from open sources, currently lists more than 70,400 surnames of Ukrainian soldiers. Our verification of a random sample of 400 of them found the database to be reliable.

The Ukrainian casualty list is likely more complete than the Russian equivalent, as Ukrainian presidential decrees on posthumous military awards remain publicly accessible. In Russia such data is classified.

As the war approaches its fourth year, global attention has shifted to the new U.S. administration’s push for peace negotiations. We continue to monitor activity at Russian military cemeteries and war memorials, and analyse obituaries, which have surged sharply in number since September last year.

Singer Rihanna has said her new album will be unexpected and she feels “really optimistic” about it in a rare interview.

“I know it’s not going to be anything that anybody expects,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.

“And it’s not going to be commercial or radio digestible. It’s going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now.”

The 37-year-old has kept fans waiting for years for her new album. Her eighth studio album, Anti, was released in 2016.

There have been plenty of rumours about what direction the long-awaited record will take, including talk of it being a reggae album.

But Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Fenty, was quick to dispel those.

“Way off! There’s no genre now. That’s why I waited. Every time, I was just like, ‘No, it’s not me. It’s not right,” she said.

“This much time away from music needs to count for the next thing everyone hears. It has to count,” she added.

“I cannot put up anything mediocre. After waiting eight years, you might as well just wait some more.”

While not revealing any more, she told the magazine that she was “feeling really optimistic.

“I feel like I’ve finally cracked it, girl!,” she said.

The multi-Grammy Award winner, who began her career in 2003, is best known for songs such as Umbrella, Shut Up And Drive and What’s My Name?

Despite stepping away from music in recent years, she has been keeping busy with her make-up and skincare brands.

• Rihanna says fashion has helped her personal ‘rediscovery’

In the interview, she said she was focusing on living in the moment.

She also shared her thoughts on growing older, using an expletitive to describe the process, while saying “it’s also a blessing”.

“My legacy is right now. That’s all I have the most control over. My legacy is what I do with my time at this moment”.

Rihanna has two young sons, RZA and Riot, with her longtime partner, rapper A$AP Rocky.

Earlier this week, the musician, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, was found not guilty of firing a gun at a former friend by a jury in Los Angeles.

Cycling rates in Paris have soared in recent years. But the death of 27-year-old Paul Varry – who was allegedly run over by a driver – has exposed a darker side to Paris’s cycling revolution.

“This was not an accident,” Paul’s colleague Corentin believes.

We’re standing on the edge of a bike lane on Boulevard Malesherbes, steps away from the place where Paul was crushed by an SUV on 15 October 2024.

The moments preceding his death are subject to a criminal investigation.

Paul was cycling home from work. The cycle path is separated from the road by a slightly raised curb.

According to witnesses and CCTV, the driver of the SUV began driving in the bike lane. Prosecutors say the driver ran over Paul’s foot. Paul banged his fist on the bonnet.

The motorist reversed at first, but then allegedly drove towards the 27-year-old. An autopsy confirmed “the marks of the vehicle crossing his body”.

The 52-year-old driver has been charged with murder. His lawyer says he may have lost control of the vehicle in a stressful situation that he was trying to get out of.

At a hearing attended by news agency AFP, he broke into tears and said “I’m sorry for what happened. I never meant to run him over.”

Paris has seen a surge in cycling as part of a broader transformation spearheaded by Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Over the last decade, the city has invested €400m (£331m) in cycling infrastructure, creating more than 1,000 kilometres of bike lanes.

According to a recent study, cycling now makes up more than 11% of trips within Paris, compared to just 4% by car. Walking is still the most popular way of getting around – accounting for 53% of journeys, followed by public transport (30%).

But despite the investment, cycling in Paris still feels precarious.

Bike lanes are patchy, lack uniformity and often don’t have designated traffic lights. The rules surrounding right of way aren’t always clear and are often flouted, making it difficult for cyclists to safely navigate.

Paul Varry’s death was extreme, but it resonated and has become a symbol of the daily struggle for space on the streets of Paris.

His mother, Nathalie Tison, remembers her son as a carefree spirit who embraced the freedom of cycling. “He was a very happy and very bubbly person, he had a lovely sense of humour and was always very gentle with the people around him. It’s such an injustice because he didn’t deserve at all what happened.”

She told me she had always been concerned about the dangers of her son riding in Paris, where she detected a sense of entitlement among some drivers.

“Drivers can be super aggressive – nothing can get in their way,” she said. “For some, the car is an extension of their virility and if anyone touches their car… it’s taken as a personal attack.

“I was afraid for him.”

Paul understood these risks, and was an active member of the cycling group Paris en Selle – Paris in the Saddle. He campaigned for more segregated space for bicycles and safer junctions.

Advocates hope the progress made in Paris will continue.

Rémi Féraud, a socialist senator and Anne Hidalgo’s top choice for future mayor, doesn’t dream of a car-free future, “because there are Parisians who have cars”.

“But by reducing space for the car, we reserve it for those who really need to come by car,” he says. “We want a city that is 100% cyclable… It is an offer of freedom.”

Carving out more street space for cyclists has involved restricting space for cars. The number of parking spaces in Paris have been slashed by a half and certain vehicles have been banned from driving through the city.

Some drivers, particularly those from the suburbs, feel that the city’s car reduction policies have made their lives more difficult.

“Driving in Paris is like going to war,” says Shamy, a reserved 24-year-old midwife. “There are no rules.” I’m sitting in his car as he straddles a cycle path – he can’t reverse because people are walking there and in front of us cars are bumper to bumper.

What does he do if there’s a confrontation with a cyclist? “I just say sorry.”

Shamy lets me out as we approach a zone in the city centre where through-traffic has been outlawed – one of several measures that has drawn anger from business owners.

Patrick Aboukrat, who owns a fashion boutique in the Marais shopping district, has launched a lawsuit with other members of Comité Marais Paris, the business association he leads, to try to roll back some of the new rules.

He says they’re losing customers and that some were planning on selling up. “When young people say they want to open a shop, I say ‘open a shop in the suburbs, go outside of Paris.’

“We do understand the need to have fewer cars in the centre. I say to the Mayor we want to work together, to change the plan. But they don’t listen. It’s ideological. “

But Féraud, the senator, instead suggests the rise in online shopping is to blame.

According to polls, most of those who live within the main Paris ring road – of whom only 30% own a car – don’t mind the traffic-limiting measures.

Those on the outskirts tend to drive more, but they are not eligible to vote for the Paris mayor or influence its traffic polices.

Alexandra Legendre, who represents a motorists lobby group – the Drivers’ Defence League – says “no one [drives] for pleasure in Paris, it’s hell.” She feels authorities have prioritised cyclists at the expense of everyone else.

She accuses politicians of being blinkered by a desire to transform Paris into a cyclists’ paradise – ignoring road safety. She insists car drivers can’t be treated as “the only bad guys”.

There’s a consensus that Paul Varry’s death was a tragedy, but Ms Legendre doesn’t think it had anything to do with him being a cyclist.

Paris is navigating the challenges of its cycling revolution as European capitals are under pressure to curb transport-related carbon emissions. The EU’s green deal aims to achieve a 90% reduction in transport-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Corentin, Paul’s colleague, points out that while Paris is still far from perfect, the infrastructure has improved significantly, making it easier and safer than ever to enjoy the view.

“We are in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and there is no better way to see it than by bike.”

The constant stream of cyclists buzzing down Rue de Rivoli – which was a major highway until 2020 – suggests that the shift towards bike-friendly urban spaces is irreversible.

Paul’s mother hopes the safe transformation of Paris streets will be part of her son’s legacy.

No date has yet been set for the trial.

When it finally comes around, she will come face to face with the man who is accused of causing her son’s death for the first time.

He is a father of four, the authorities told her. Two families, she points out, have been “broken”.

She believes the way Paul lived and died must be a catalyst for change.

“He was so bright, intelligent, sensitive – it’s such a waste. And we’ve been reduced to a thousand pieces. We have to ask ourselves, what kind of society do we want to live in?”

Imagine waking up in Rome 2,000 years ago, on the Nile in ancient Egypt or on the streets of London during the Black Death in the 1300s – complete with realistic sights, sounds and daily struggles.

In recent weeks, AI-generated videos showing the points of view of people waking up in different historical time periods have gone viral on TikTok.

Dan and Hogne are the creators behind two of the accounts – POV Lab and Time Traveller POV.

Dan, based in the UK, tells the BBC he creates these videos as the “idea of seeing the past through a first-person perspective felt like a unique way to bring history to life”.

Hogne, a 27-year-old from Norway, adds that his videos are teaching people “about cool parts of history and helping them learn something new”.

Despite the videos offering millions a window into history, a number of historians have shared concerns about the accuracy of the content and whether AI can truly resurrect the past, or are we just seeing a polished, modernised version of history designed for engagement?

Murky and misty streets, coughing townsfolk, and the distant toll of a plague doctor’s bell all feature in Hogne’s most-watched video, which has racked up 53 million views.

It has sparked fascination among many, but historian Dr Amy Boyington describes the medieval-themed video as “amateurish” and “evocative and sensational” rather than historically accurate.

“It looks like something from a video game as it shows a world that is meant to look real but is actually fake.”

She points out inaccuracies like the depiction of houses with large glazed windows and a train track running through the town which wouldn’t have existed in the 1300s.

Historian and archaeologist Dr Hannah Platts has also noticed significant inaccuracies in a video depicting the eruption of Mount Vesuvius at Pompeii.

“Due to Pliny the Younger’s eyewitness account of the eruption, we know that it didn’t start with lava spewing everywhere so to not use that wealth of historical information available to us feels cheap and lazy.”

She also spots smaller mistakes – stemmed wine glasses and pepper mills didn’t exist and people would be reclining while eating not sitting on dining chairs.

“The bread roll in the video is a modern loaf and given we actually have carbonised loaves from the time it’s a real shame the person making the video didn’t do some research and include that.”

Dan, who created the video of Pompeii, says he recognises a lots of details in his videos are historically inaccurate.

“AI-generated content isn’t perfect, and while I strive for accuracy, these videos are more about evoking the feeling of a time period rather than being a 100% factual recreation.

“They’re more like artistic interpretations rather than strict documentaries.”

But, Dr Boyington worries about the impact that these artistic interpretations can have on rewriting history.

“It can be quite dangerous as people could manipulate history – for example, someone could create an AI-generated video that backs up holocaust deniers.”

While most people will know that the content of the video isn’t real, the concern is for “young people who will learn about a historical time period for the first time through these videos”.

Dan rejects these claims and says his videos “are not meant to be taken as pure historical fact”.

“I encourage viewers to research history themselves if they’re interested. I see these videos as a way to spark curiosity about the past rather than replace real historical education.”

Hogne says he feels “a responsibility” in creating these videos and has been focusing on trying to make the videos as accurate as possible, “especially now that so many millions of people are watching them”.

Dr Platts worries about misinformation spreading unchecked, noting that some viewers in the comments seemed unaware that the AI-generated videos were not based on historical facts.

“We see lots of students now using AI, and what’s problematic is if they see something like this and then it’s echoed back to us as if it’s fact.”

Dan says he ensures all his videos are labelled as AI-created, while Hogne says that misinformation has existed long before AI and “people have to think critically about everything they are watching”.

All the historians the BBC spoke to agree that there are merits to Dan and Hogne’s videos.

Dr Boyington says they can act as a “gateway into history and can inspire someone to do their own research”, while a professor of Egyptology, Elizabeth Frood, says that “if done accurately and reliably then this is of immense benefit to the public as it raises interest and awareness of history”.

Barbara Keys, a professor of US history at Durham University, took a look at an AI-generated video of someone working at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on 6 April 1986, the day the reactor exploded.

While she sees the potential merits in these videos, she calls the clip a “black box” as there’s no source information or transparency about what information was fed to the AI programme.

She says a concerning inaccuracy in the video is that the retractor is based on images from after the disaster rather than before.

“This makes people think that Soviet technology was really bad when actually it was very sophisticated.”

She thinks the viral nature of these videos is less about their historical content and more about the public’s fascination with AI itself.

“There’s nothing very interesting in the video, and it doesn’t give you any information about the accident or what happened after, so the interest must be able what AI can do.”

Prof Frood has concerns that the videos haven’t been created accurately or reliably and emphasises that historical reconstructions should be based on extensive research and verifiable sources.

“We need to be critical of this video as we know nothing about its source or what information was fed to the AI in order for this video to be created.”

She is commenting specifically on a video about being a child in Egypt in 1250 BC.

The first thing that struck her was how the videos tend to “homogenise complex ancient worlds.”

“Egypt spans thousands of years, and people might not realise that this is just one snapshot,” she explains.

Overall she says the video seemed “poorly researched” and pointed out an instance where a teacher in a school scene is reading the hieroglyphs backward when they should be read from right to left.

Hogne, who created the video, says he recognises that there are historical inaccuracies in his videos and that’s because “AI can make a lot of errors but in the future the tools will get better”.

“I try and spot them where I can but I am not a history expert so I don’t always see the error, especially when it’s something small,” he adds.

Asked about the lack of transparency in source material, Hogne says in the future he might consider adding links to where he got his information from.

“It would be cool to make it totally accurate using the right sources, but it’s just me on my own making these videos and it takes eight hours to make each one.”

Hogne relies on Chat GPT to research a time period and asks it for information about what people and places would have looked like. He then generates an initial image of someone looking out at a landscape and from there “it’s a lot of back and forth to get it right”.

Dan says it takes him four hours to make each video and he uses “different AI tools to generate high-quality images, animate them, and craft realistic sound”.

He watches videos and reads documents to educate himself on a time period before making the video to try and give it “some historical accuracy”.

“You have to give the AI every detail, from ‘traditional Italian robes’ to ‘cobblestone floors’ otherwise it will get creative and make random things you don’t want.”

Quaffles, bludgers and the elusive golden snitch – it has been nearly 20 years since Quidditch moved from the pages of Harry Potter to real-life playing fields.

The sport, made famous by JK Rowling’s orphaned wizard, is now known as Quadball and believed to be the only mixed-gender, full-contact sport in the world.

Unlike Harry and co, who would perform hair-raising manoeuvres while soaring through the air on broomsticks, real-life players try to outwit their opponents astride PVC pipes.

While it may have originally been viewed as a sport for hardcore “Potterheads”, Quadball has long transcended the fictional series and carved out its own identity as a competitive sport which continues to keep thousands of players under its spell.

“I don’t even like Harry Potter,” says Sheffield Quadball Club player Henry Patten.

Henry discovered his love for the sport after reluctantly attending a training session in 2021.

“Sports I’ve been in before were all about competitiveness, trying to win at all cost,” the 22-year-old says.

“Quadball is just so much more about inclusivity and having a good time more than anything.”

Rowling’s Quidditch is portrayed as a dangerous game, where players frequently endure high-speed collisions and aggressive tactics.

The real-life adaptation, created by students in the United States in 2005, is equally fast-paced and sees so-called chasers trying to throw quaffles – semi-deflated volleyballs – through the opposition’s hoops.

While doing so, they have to avoid being knocked out by bludgers, rubber dodgeballs thrown by beaters.

Perhaps the best-known element of the game is the golden snitch, famously very nearly swallowed by Harry Potter during his first-ever Quidditch match.

But instead of a winged, walnut-sized ball, real-life seekers chase a flag runner dressed in yellow, who has a sock with a tennis ball in attached to their shorts.

Sarah Abramson, who plays for Bristol Quadball Club, says Quadball combines disciplines from well-known childhood favourites.

“It’s like if you play dodgeball, soccer and capture the flag all at the same time,” Sarah, who is from the US, says.

“It’s a really visually interesting sport to watch.”

Quadball teams usually comprise three chasers, two beaters, one keeper and one seeker, who play on a pitch roughly half the the size of football field.

Rather than buying a broomstick in Diagon Alley, it is store-bought PVC pipes players use to hold between their legs.

“It’s really fun but it’s also really silly,” Sarah, 25, says.

“You have to have the ability to laugh at yourself.”

Following its inception, Quadball quickly captured hearts and minds across the globe, leading to the emergence of new teams, tournaments and eventually the first World Cup in Oxford in 2012.

Unusual because of its rules and origin, players say being confronted with questions such as ‘oh, do you fly?’ and ‘is this even a real sport?’ is not uncommon.

Equally, people often underestimate how physically demanding the sport can be, says Chloe Durkin, the president of Olympians Quadball Club Leeds.

“A lot of people who do fitness for the sport say they do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to put up with it,” they say.

Quadball has earned a reputation for being trans-inclusive and features a gender rule, which limits the number of players of the same gender on the pitch at the same time.

Chloe, who is also the international relations officer for governing body Quadball UK, says playing a mixed-gender, full-contact sport feels “empowering”.

“There is always this assumption that men are stronger than women, but in reality that’s not entirely true,” the 26-year-old says.

“There are lots of men in the community who would still find me a challenging opponent.”

While Quadball’s links to the Harry Potter series are undeniable, the sport has taken active steps to move away from the franchise.

In 2022, the decision was made to rename Quidditch to Quadball, in part because of JK Rowling’s comments on gender identity but also due to trademark issues.

At the time, Quadball UK said the name change indicated “a firm stance with our trans players and members” and opened up “greater opportunities for funding”.

Sheffield Quadball Club player Izzy Hecks says the Harry Potter association is no longer “a marketing point” when it comes to recruitment.

“The books probably are a big factor why people know about the sport, but I’d like to think people are discovering it through other sources now.”

For some players, like James Martin, Quadball presented an attractive alternative to other full-contact sports, like rugby.

The Warwick Quadball Club president and coach says: “It’s much more fun because you get a lot more of the ball and freedom of movement.

“I actually stopped playing rugby because I got much more into Quadball.”

Michael Ansell, who used to play American Football, says he signed up to the Oxford Mammoths in 2013 as “almost like a joke”.

“Looking back, it’s the best joke that I ever went through with,” the 30-year-old says.

“It’s the only sport I’ve ever played that you can turn up as a new person and you forget you didn’t know anyone before because they take you in so willingly.”

Since the coronavirus pandemic, recruitment has been challenging for both community and university teams, with some clubs even on hiatus.

Oxford Mammoths player Sam believes better collaboration between societies and targeting non-students could sustain growth.

Sam was 12 when he watched the British Quadball Cup in Oxford in 2012 and is now a proud player himself.

Despite the current challenges, the 23-year-old is optimistic about the future of the sport.

“I think we are struggling to figure out how to sell it, but I think it can be done,” he says.

“I refuse to believe that a whimsical sport like this is losing popularity.”

South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds

After years of global domination by stars such as Ed Sheeran, Adele and Harry Styles, British music artists have failed to make it into the worldwide annual charts of the year’s top 10 bestselling singles or albums – for the first time in more than two decades.

No UK acts featured on either list detailing the most popular albums and songs of 2024, as published by global music industry body the IFPI.

Two years ago, UK acts held seven of the 20 entries across the two charts.

US singer Benson Boone claimed 2024’s number one song with Beautiful Things, while Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department was the world’s bestselling album.

Releases by Coldplay, Charli XCX and Dua Lipa did not make the lists – with the highest-ranked British representative being singer and producer Artemas, whose song I Like The Way You Kiss Me was the 15th most popular single of 2024.

Previously, UK acts have appeared in one, or both, of the top 10 lists every year since at least 2003.

The reduction in British stars is not just a global phenomenon. No British act held any of the top 10 most popular singles of the year in the UK in the most recent list – the first time that has happened since at least 2005.

UK artists are facing competition from pop stars from Korea and Latin America, with four of the world’s 10 bestselling albums last year by South Korean boy bands.

Global bestselling albums of 2024

1. Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
2. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft
3. Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
4. Enhypen – Romance: Untold
5. SZA – SOS
6. Seventeen – Spill The Feels
7. Morgan Wallen – One Thing At A Time
8. Seventeen – 17 Is Right Here
9. Noah Kahan – Stick Season
10. Stray Kids – ATE

However, a crop of new British stars including Lola Young, Central Cee and Myles Smith have made a big impact at home and abroad in recent months, suggesting the well is not running dry.

Jo Twist, chief executive of British record industry body the BPI, said: “British artists may have enjoyed stronger years on the international stage, which perhaps isn’t surprising given some of our biggest names were not in cycle in 2024.

“There was still plenty to be excited about, as a new generation announced itself – not least Charli XCX, who enjoyed a breakthrough year globally, alongside international chart success for emerging artists such as Jordan Adetunji, Artemas and Good Neighbours, while the likes of Lola Young and Myles are now rapidly building an international following.”

While asserting UK record companies do “an amazing job” at nurturing new artists, it is “undoubtedly becoming much harder to break talent in a hyper-competitive global music economy”, she admitted.

“Streaming has created many benefits, enabling more artists to succeed, but has also levelled the playing field for music markets around the world, opening up more challenges to the UK.”

Global best-selling singles of 2024

1. Benson Boone – Beautiful Things
2. Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
3. Teddy Swims – Lose Control
4. Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather
5. Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)
6. Hozier – Too Sweet
7. Post Malone – I Had Some Help (feat Morgan Wallen)
8. Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
9. Taylor Swift – Cruel Summer
10. Noah Kahan – Stick Season

Last year was “one of the most competitive years in recent memory to release music”, according to Billboard’s UK editor Thomas Smith, with big releases from major US stars such as Swift, Beyonce and Billie Eilish.

“In terms of where the UK is at, it isn’t great. I wouldn’t say it’s an existential threat just yet, but we’re probably not far off,” he said.

“It’s concerning that it’s going down – it feels like quite rapidly.

“But then, on the flip side, this is all cyclical.”

Next weekend, the British music industry will celebrate the achievements of acts such as Charli XCX, Ezra Collective and The Last Dinner Party at the Brit Awards.

Another nominee, Sam Fender, released his latest album on Friday to strong reviews.

This year has got “off to a great start from a UK perspective”, Smith said, and things could pick up even more speed if superstars like Sheeran, Styles and Sam Smith return later in 2025.

But the music industry landscape is very different from a decade ago, he adds.

“We see artists from the K-pop scene and Latin America – like Bad Bunny, one of the biggest, most listened-to artists on the planet right now.

“The UK has some really specific issues that need to be addressed, like the rising cost of touring. A lot of UK acts have to be really careful and can’t afford to lose money on every single tour that they do when they go to Europe or to the US or anywhere else.”

Grassroots music venues are “key hubs for nurturing talent” but many have closed or are struggling, he said.

UK music exports grew by 15% in 2023, the latest year for which figures are available.

But US music data company Chartmetric has said much of this is driven by legacy acts such as Queen, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

“While this may not appear problematic for the UK’s bottom line right now, it could highlight potential concerns for the future,” journalist Sonia Chien wrote in Chartmetric’s How Music Charts newsletter last week.

“If the UK does not foster the careers of new talent today, the contributions of current legacy artists would be expected to diminish, without being replenished.”

London Fashion Week has kicked off, showcasing the best of British design.

Fashion lovers have gathered in the capital for five days of runway shows and events, offering a glimpse at the autumn/winter 2025 trends.

Florence Pugh opened Harris Reed’s show with a theatrical display, turning heads in a sculptural speared, hooded black gown.

Her dramatic make-up featured striking eyes with extended lashes adding to her bold, dramatic look.

Since graduation from Central Saint Martins, Reed’s clothes have become synonymous with gender-fluid fashion.

His collections often feature exaggerated hips, nipped-in waists through corsetry, oversized structured lapels, and sculptural collars.

The Central Saint Martins MA presentation showcased the impressive work from one of the world’s most renowned fashion courses.

Its alumni include some of the most celebrated names in fashion, such as Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Kim Jones, Simone Rocha, Richard Quinn, and Roksanda.

These designers have gone on to shape the global fashion landscape with their innovative work and distinctive styles.

On Friday morning, Paul Costelloe, a key figure in both British and Irish fashion, kicked off proceedings with his latest collection at the Palm Court at The Waldorf in central London.

As is customary, the front rows were filled with fashionistas and celebrities, adding extra glamour to the event.

Among those in attendance were, social media influencers, Phoebe and Daisy Tomlinson, who caught the spotlight at Costelloe’s show.

The next seven days really matter.

“The most negative thing would be a gruesome sell-out of Ukraine and we get slapped with tariffs,” says a source involved in working out the best moves for No 10 as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to head to the White House to meet President Donald Trump.

“The better version is Trump returns to a bit more robust behaviour with the Russians, Britain gets patted on the back for making a move on defence spending and we avoid all the tariffs – a Trumpportunity.”

With Whitehall-style understatement, a different official predicts the PM “has a really big decision to make about what to say to Trump in private” – remember, just this week the president accused Sir Keir of “doing nothing” to try and stop the Ukraine conflict.

So what options does Sir Keir have?

A decision on defence spending is the big focus. The drumbeat of demands for the UK to boost spending was getting louder even before Trump moved into the White House.

The government hasn’t yet committed to when it will hit its target of spending 2.5% of the size of the economy, let alone if it will go a lot further as military leaders, Nato, Trump, and now even the Liberal Democrats are calling for.

A senior government source says the PM is “pushing the system” to get to a stronger position on spending, but in recent days it’s suggested the Treasury’s still asking about the spending consequences. The dilemma is obvious: public money is tight as a drum, and Downing Street doesn’t want to take cash from the NHS or other priorities at home.

But a Treasury source acknowledged “the world is changing”, and sources describe a “phenomenal” opportunity to take the European lead and please Trump with cash promises.

A Trump backer warns against anything lukewarm: “a proper commitment, not just a road map, or a path – be more specific, say ‘Yes we’ll hit it by this date,’ and throw in some more”.

“He’s going to have to do 3% [or more],” one Whitehall insider suggests, “so the choice is, does it do it now, for the right reasons, make a virtue of it, or does he end up getting browbeaten into it by Trump?”

I’m told that there is no final decision on what to say – and crucial meetings are planned between ministers, officials and military advisers at the start of next week to decide.

Ukraine is, clearly, central to the talks, and the question looms over what happens if Trump gets the ceasefire he wants.

In the last week UK and French military planners have been working on options, all of which are at an early stage. One idea is that a “reassurance” force of perhaps 20,000 or 30,000 UK and French troops could be deployed after a ceasefire around Ukrainian infrastructure, ports, nuclear power stations, even in some of the key cities.

The model of a joint UK-French force already exists – the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, a deal signed by the two countries several years ago. Another source suggests the best option for a monitoring force would be under the badge of the UN, if the Russians could be persuaded to accept that, with Ukraine’s allies stepping up training and support for Ukraine inside the country.

These options in broad terms, given a public airing by Sir Keir Starmer this week, aren’t new, one adviser says, and have been suggested in private for a long time. Another source in government says the plan for 30,000 troops is “not yet an actual thing” – there’s no detailed blueprint.

But European leaders know they have to prove to Trump they are serious about contributing to a lasting peace, rather than leaving it to the United States.

I’m told when French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump and Zelensky met in the margins of the fanciest international get together of recent times, the reopening of Notre Dame, Trump said that he’d get Russia to the table, Zelensky said that he would go to the negotiating table, and Macron promised he’d make sure Europe played a real part.

It’s worth noting that Trump said “that’s great, I’m all for that”, when asked earlier this week about the idea of European troops being deployed was mentioned.

But as the talks approach, uncertainty about the US’ true view is the fundamental, and some in government are nervous. Does Trump really believe that Zelensky is a “dictator” – or, as Trump’s Ukraine envoy suggested yesterday, a “courageous leader”? Does Trump want the “sugar rush” of a quick deal that might favour Russia asks one former defence minister, more than achieving something long-term?

A Trump backer said it is “obscene” to suggest that the president is a Putin sympathiser, pointing to his previous decisions to approve the sale of Javelin missiles to Ukraine.

In No 10, “we don’t think there is a cut and run”, a senior source says. In private, US figures have reassured the UK that the United States is not about to turn its back on Ukraine.

Sign up for the Off Air with Laura K newsletter to get Laura Kuenssberg’s expert insight and insider stories every week, emailed directly to you.

In Brussels last week the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made headlines when he signalled the US would reduce its support for Ukraine – but a source in the room during the private talks after his controversial public remarks told me Hegseth said “we know who the goodies are and who the baddies are”.

There is though anxiety in government that Trump might be tempted to just force a deal to end the conflict, then Russia could “just reload then go again”, according to another source.

But there is a shaky faith – perhaps more accurately a fervent hope – that whatever the president’s public remarks, that the US will try to involve Ukraine in the talks and does think the peace has to be a deal that lasts, with a force that looks credible, potentially with some form of American support.

Emmanuel Macron, and then Sir Keir, will try to persuade Trump that a deal with security guarantees for Ukraine is the only true victory for the White House.

Remember why all this matters so much back home. What Trump decides to do about the conflict has an effect not just on the security of our continent but our prosperity too: the Ukraine war has shaken our economy through the effect it’s had on energy bills.

There is also, of course, the simple and awful human cost of lives lost – Ukrainians and Russians – hundreds of thousands of casualties, with terrible suffering on the edge of Europe. Thousands of families in the UK opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees at the start of the war.

The former defence minister notes: “Sometimes when there is all this noise, we have to still find a way to keep supporting them. Who knows when it is going to end, the only thing we know is they are still being attacked.”

As the war’s three-year anniversary approaches you can expect to hear this message from government too.

And of course what happens matters enormously to the fortunes of this government. Sir Keir might have a huge majority, but he has battled to retain political momentum and his popularity has plunged since taking office.

He may even want to bring other things to the famous Resolute desk beyond defence and Ukraine: Trump is, a senior government source says, notoriously unpredictable and may swerve off topic.

A source familiar with Trump’s thinking suggests the PM could turn Trump’s freewheeling style to his advantage by putting other issues on the table – an offer to buy more American Liquid Natural Gas perhaps, revising the deal on the Chagos Islands, a tougher position on China, or a discussion about tech regulation perhaps, with Apple in a huff with the UK government.

Starmer might not have chosen – few prime ministers do – to have to confront complicated foreign policy tangles early in office. But one Whitehall observer notes “kudos to No 10 for handling Trump” so far, not reacting to his every outburst.

And Brexit, ironically, helps Sir Keir the Remainer carve out a separate role to the rest of Europe.

Working with Trump might be like handling a live firework. But the international jeopardy does present opportunities for the PM, as one former senior official suggests.

If “you don’t have much of a compelling agenda, your social policy is looking hard, your economic policy is looking hard, you can see why he might think, do you know, the air miles are starting to look pretty attractive”.

This week presents Sir Keir with all sorts of dangers, but also, a chance to lead.

Israel says it is indefinitely delaying the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, in another potentially major setback in the ceasefire process.

It came after six Israeli hostages, including four kidnapped during the 7 October 2023 deadly Hamas attack on Israel, were released on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the release of the Palestinian prisoners was now going to be delayed until the next handover of hostages by Hamas was guaranteed – and without what he called the degrading ceremonies that Hamas has put on each week.

There’s only one more handover of hostages due in the first phase of the ceasefire, involving four of the hostages who’ve died in captivity.

No arrangements for the release of other living hostages, due to take place in phase two of the ceasefire, have yet been made.

Mediators will be working overtime to try to get the deal back on track and avert a possible collapse of the ceasefire.

Netanyahu accused Hamas of “repeated violations”, including the “cynical use of the hostages for propaganda purposes”.

His statement came after four hostages who were taken captive during the Nova music festival – Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert – were released on Saturday.

The two other released hostages, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, were held in Gaza for years – Mr Mengistu since 2014 and Mr al-Sayed since 2015.

The six Israeli hostages are the final living hostages to be returned as part of the first phase of a ceasefire deal which is set to end next Saturday.

Meanwhile outside the Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, family and friends waited for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

An 80-year-old mother in Khan Younis, Gaza, told the AFP news agency that she “can’t believe” her son would be free after 33 years in prison.

By the evening, Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement by delaying the release.

There was no immediate response from Hamas to Netanyahu’s statement.

• What we know about the Gaza ceasefire deal
• Israel and the Palestinians: History of the conflict explained

According to Palestinian authorities, 50 of the prisoners who were going to be released were serving life sentences, 60 had long sentences, and 445 were detained by Israel since 7 October.

There are 62 hostages taken on 7 October 2023 who are still being held by Hamas, around half of whom are believed to be alive. More are set to be freed in the next phase of the three-stage ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which is scheduled to start on 1 March.

Hamas began releasing hostages, facilitated by the Red Cross, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners after the ceasefire agreement took effect on 19 January.

Initial chaotic scenes have become more choreographed, with hostages flanked by fighters on stages before the handovers.

On Saturday, Mr Shoham, 40, and Mr Mengistu, 39, were passed to the Red Cross in Rafah, south Gaza before being transferred to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Mr Shoham was visiting family at Kibbutz Be’eri in October 2023 when he and others, including his wife and two children, were kidnapped by Hamas. His captured family members were released after 50 days.

In a statement, his family said: “This is an unforgettable moment, where all emotions are rapidly mixing together. Our Tal is with us.”

Mr Mengistu, who is Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held by Hamas since September 2014 when he crossed into northern Gaza.

He and Mr al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab Israeli who entered Gaza in 2015, had both suffered with mental health problems in the past, according to their families.

Mr al-Sayed’s release was conducted privately in Gaza City on Saturday.

“After nearly a decade of fighting for Hisham’s return, the long-awaited moment has arrived,” his family said in a statement.

“During these days, we need privacy for Hisham and the entire family so we can begin to care for Hisham and ourselves.”

Separately, at Nuseirat in central Gaza, Mr Shem Tov, 22, Mr Cohen, 27, and Mr Wenkert, 23, were freed in another public show by Hamas.

All three were taken captive at the Nova music festival.

Mr Shem Tov had initially escaped by car when Hamas fighters descended on the festival, but was captured when he went back to rescue his friends.

Mr Cohen had hid with his girlfriend, Ziv Abud, in a shelter at the festival, but was discovered and driven away. The shelter was bombed, but Ms Abud survived and escaped.

Mr Wenkert managed to send text messages to his family when festival-goers were being attacked, to tell them he was going to a safe shelter, but they lost contact with him.

Crowds in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square greeted the public releases with cheers as they watched them unfold on a live feed.

Families celebrating the return of the six men called for all remaining hostages to be released.

“Our only request is to seize this window of opportunity to secure a deal that will… return all hostages home,” Mr Shoham’s family said.

Remaining hostages include Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier captured on 7 October.

His mother, Yael Alexander, who was watching Saturday’s hostage release, told the BBC it was “amazing” to see them freed, but for her family it is “very tough” waiting.

“There are more than dozens of young men alive, like my son, still waiting to be released,” she said. “This is the main goal, to release the live people now from Gaza.”

Saturday’s joyful scenes contrasted with earlier this week, when the bodies of hostages Shiri Bibas, her two young sons and another captive Oded Lifschitz were returned to Israel.

About 1,200 people – mostly civilians – were killed in the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages.

Israel launched a massive military campaign against Hamas in response, which has killed at least 48,319 Palestinians – mainly civilians – according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Pope Francis’s condition continues to be “critical” after suffering a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis” earlier on Saturday, the Vatican has said.

The pontiff is “more unwell than yesterday” and had received blood transfusions, the statement said.

The Vatican said the 88-year-old was alert and in his armchair, but required a “high flow” of oxygen and his prognosis “remains guarded”.

The Pope is being treated for pneumonia in both lungs at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

The blood transfusions were deemed necessary due to a low platelet count, associated with anaemia, the Vatican said.

“The Holy Father’s condition remains critical,” a statement said. “The Pope is not out of danger.”

“The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair even if he was suffering more than yesterday,” the statement added.

The Pope has asked for openness about his health, so the Vatican has begun releasing daily statements. The tone, and length, of the announcements has varied, sometimes leaving Pope-watchers to attempt to read between the lines.

But this is by far the starkest assessment yet and it is unusually detailed. It declines to give any prognosis.

It comes just a day after doctors treating the Pope said for the first time that he was responding to medication, although they were clear that his condition was complex. They said on Friday that the slightest change of circumstance would upset what was called a “delicate balance”.

“He is the Pope,” as one of them put it. “But he is also a man.”

The Pope was first admitted to hospital on 14 February after experiencing difficulties breathing for several days.

He is especially prone to lung infections due to developing pleurisy – an inflammation around the lungs – as an adult and having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21.

During his 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic church, the Argentine has been hospitalised several times including in March 2023 when he spent three nights in hospital with bronchitis.

The latest news will worry Catholics worldwide, who are following news of the Pope’s condition closely.

It is a busy Jubilee year for the Catholic Church with huge numbers of visitors expected in Rome and a major schedule of events for the Pope. He is not known for enjoying being inactive. Even in hospital, his doctors say he went to pray in the chapel this week and had been reading in his chair.

But even before the latest setback, the Vatican had said he would not appear in public to lead prayer with pilgrims on Sunday, meaning he will miss the event for the second week in a row.

Well-wishers have been leaving candles, flowers and letters for the Pope outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital all week. There was no change outside St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Saturday evening, however, with no crowd gathering.

But people passing through the square said they were following the news.

“We feel very close to the Pope, here in Rome,” one Italian man told the BBC. “We saw the latest, and we are worried.”

US government workers received an email on Saturday afternoon asking them to list their accomplishments from the past week or resign – the latest development in the Trump administration’s efforts targeting the federal workforce.

The email came after billionaire Trump confidante Elon Musk tweeted that employees would “shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week”.

“Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” he wrote.

Musk has been leading an outside effort to aggressively curtail government spending through funding cuts and firings.

The email arrived in inboxes shortly after Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac). The messages came with the subject line “What did you do last week?” from a sender listed as HR.

The Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s human resources agency, confirmed the email was authentic in a statement to CBS, the BBC’s US news partner.

“As part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce, OPM is asking employees to provide a brief summary of what they did last week by the end of Monday, CC’ing their manager. Agencies will determine any next steps.”

In a copy of the email obtained by the BBC, employees were asked to explain their accomplishments from the past week in five bullet points – without disclosing classified information – before midnight on Monday.

The message did not mention whether a failure to respond would be considered a resignation.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal employees, criticised the message as “cruel and disrespectful” and vowed to challenge any “unlawful terminations” of federal employees.

“Once again, Elon Musk and the Trump Administration have shown their utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people,” Everett Kelley, union president, said in a statement.

Newly-confirmed FBI director Kash Patel told his employees in an email that they should “pause any responses” to the OPM memo.

“FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information,” Patel wrote in a message obtained by CBS News. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with the FBI procedures.”

Earlier in the day, Trump touted cuts and told a crowd of supporters at Cpac that the work of federal employees had been inadequate because some of them work remotely at least some of the time.

“We’re removing all of the unnecessary, incompetent and corrupt bureaucrats from the federal workforce,” the president told the crowd at the annual conference in suburban Washington on Saturday afternoon.

“We want to make government smaller, more efficient,” he added. “We want to keep the best people, and we’re not going to keep the worst people.”

Elon Musk’s team has exacted wide-ranging changes to the US federal infrastructure, with approval from the White House, through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

Thousands of government employees at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as other agencies, have been fired in recent weeks.

The email mirrors Musk’s handling of employees after he acquired social media platform Twitter in 2022. As the staff there shrunk under his ownership, he issued ultimatums that included a now-infamous request to commit to being “extremely hardcore” at work or resign.

Trump has repeatedly applauded Musk’s government-cutting measures.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said that Musk is doing a “great job” in reducing the size of the federal government and that he would like to see him “get more aggressive” in the pursuit.

Germans go to the polls on Sunday, after an intense election campaign dominated by their country’s faltering economy and a succession of deadly attacks that have made migration and security a focal issue.

Friedrich Merz, the 69-year-old conservative leader, is in pole-position to become Germany’s next chancellor, in a vote closely watched in Europe and the US.

He promises to fix most problems in four years – a tall order for Europe’s biggest economy and a creaking infrastructure.

If Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) win, he will need to forge an alliance with at least one other party, most likely Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, whose government collapsed late last year.

On the eve of the vote, Merz was adamant there would be no deal with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is poised to become the second biggest political force, ahead of Scholz’s centre left.

Some 59.2 million Germans are eligible to vote, and while millions already have by post, polls indicate as many 20% were undecided ahead of election day.

The polls open at 08:00 (07:00 GMT) and close at 18:00, with a clear idea of a result during the evening.

Voters are energised by this pivotal election, and campaigning continued right through Saturday evening with a final debate on national TV – the ninth this month.

This is a watershed moment as Germany will have to make big decisions on the world stage as well as home.

Merz promises strong leadership in Europe, but Berlin is also under pressure to loosen the budget strings for its military.

As Ukraine’s second-biggest provider of military aid, Germany’s next new government will face a US president who has condemned President Volodymyr Zelensky as a dictator and fractured the West’s united front against Russia.

German political leaders have also been shocked by US Vice-President JD Vance, who has met the AfD’s candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, and called for an end to the long-standing taboo of talking to the far right.

In Germany, that taboo is known as a firewall or .

Merz was accused of breaking it last month when he used their support in parliament. Several German cities saw protests against the far-right on Saturday.

The AfD is already popular in several eastern states, but it is rapidly growing in the west too, attracting support among younger Germans via TikTok.

One Weidel campaign video has had four million views.

Her message is simple: Vote AfD, break the firewall and change German politics.

The AfD wants to leave the EU, scrap climate change measures, build nuclear power plants and repair gas lines and relations with Russia.

Find out more about Germany’s elections:

Who’s who and what you need to know

Merz: Risk-taker who flirted with far right

Katya Adler: Far right looks for breakthrough as Germany falters

Tensions laid bare as Germans worry about immigration

But its voice has been loudest on migration and security after five deadly attacks since last May, including three during the election campaign in Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg and Munich – and all allegedly carried out by immigrants.

A stabbing at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial on Friday night has kept the issue in the headlines. The victim survived, and police said the attacker was Syrian and his motive antisemitic.

The AfD has embraced a highly controversial policy called “remigration”, which it defines as deporting migrants who have committed crimes. But the term can also refer to the mass deportations of migrants and their descendants.

The anti-immigration party has already secured a foothold in parts of the west, especially in Germany’s old industrial heartland in the Ruhr valley.

In last summer’s European elections it won the vote in some northern areas of the city of Duisburg, with 20% in Marxloh, 25% in an adjacent area and 30% next door to that.

Marxloh is a vibrant district with a large immigrant community, known for its array of shops selling Turkish fashionwear for brides.

But it has also suffered extensively from the decline of the coal and steel industry and a lack of government investment.

In a park close to Marxloh’s remaining steelworks, five young men in their early 20s explained why they all planned to vote AfD.

“We’re young, we need work and they don’t give us a chance to find training,” one man complained.

“We’ve no money; everything’s more expensive; there aren’t many jobs any more and there’s so much dirt here.”

The AfD are not known for their social policies, but their message on security cuts through, and this group does not see the anti-immigration party as extreme.

“No, they’re just normal people.”

In the east it is the rural areas that the AfD does best, but in the west it is growing in cities that have lost their industrial base, says Prof Conrad Ziller of the University of Duisburg-Essen.

“Voices of people in favour of the AfD have become so loud, so if you’re in a doctor’s waiting room it’s really common to hear people chat about getting angry about the established politicians and government.”

Migration is the most common frustration, and he believes Weidel has capitalised on that by appearing so prominently in all the TV debates.

Often when the debate touched on the economy, social justice or inequality, Prof Ziller said “the AfD deflected it and said the main problem is not economics, it’s migration, and the government didn’t do a good job”.

While the opinion polls have been consistent about who is leading the race, some of the parties might not make it over the 5% threshold for the newly slimmed-down parliament.

The fewer parties that make it into the the 630-seat Bundestag, the more straightforward it will be to form a coalition with a majority.

The economic liberals, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), were in the outgoing government but they risk oblivion on Sunday along with left-wing populist party BSW.

The Left party, however, has seen a resurgence in recent days and pollsters suggest it will become the fifth largest party after the Greens.

Over 95,000 people fighting for Russia’s military have now died as the war in Ukraine enters the fourth year, according to data analysed by the BBC.

This figure doesn’t include those who were killed serving in the militia of the self-proclaimed Donbas republics which we estimate to be between 21,000 and 23,500 fighters.

BBC Russian, independent media group Mediazona and volunteers have been counting deaths since February 2022.

The list includes names of the deceased that we verified using information from official reports, newspapers, social media, and new memorials and graves. The real death toll is believed to be much higher.

Daniil Dudnikov, a 21-year-old history student at Donetsk National University, was reading international relations and enjoyed swimming.

On the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on 24 February 2022, the authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic forcibly mobilised Daniil and despatched him to the Kharkiv region.

Just a month later, on 25 March, Daniil went missing in action. Of the 18 soldiers in his unit, none returned. 13 were killed, and five were taken prisoner. Four months later, following a prisoner exchange, those who had survived confirmed that Daniil had been one of the 13 killed in combat.

Daniil’s story mirrors those of thousands of other residents from the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, created in 2014 by Moscow-backed separatists in the predominantly Russian-speaking parts of eastern Ukraine.

With the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, civilian men were drafted en masse, often inadequately trained and poorly equipped before being assigned to near-impossible missions. This resulted in a staggering number of dead and missing soldiers, the fate of whom often remains unknown for months or years.

According to our analysis of published obituaries and missing persons reports from the regions, the majority of deaths in Donbass militias occurred during the first year of the invasion, a toll comparable to the total number of confirmed Russian military losses over the same period – 25,769 deaths.

Yet despite many people in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine having relatives or friends in Russia, they are far less integrated into the country’s everyday life, which makes their losses less “visible” to ordinary Russians.

Another large part of the Russian losses are convicts recruited in prisons.

Ildus Sadykov was 59 when he was arrested for stealing a bag at a railway station in Moscow. It was the fourth time he ended up in jail, having spent a total of 16 years behind bars for separate criminal convictions.

“They told me, ‘If you don’t want to go back to prison, sign a contract.’ They assured me that at my age, I wouldn’t be sent to the front, just assigned to an auxiliary role. Well, I went along with it.” He recalls, speaking as a prisoner of war after being captured by Ukrainian forces in the summer of 2024.

Following a prisoner exchange, he was returned to Russia, where he was sent back to the frontlines again. This month, Ildus Sadykov was killed in combat.

Currently, the BBC Russian database of war casualties includes 16,171 convicted criminals who were recruited from penal colonies to fight. These are just the cases in which we could verify criminal records through open sources. The actual number of deceased convicts is likely far higher.

By including an analysis of leaked documents from the Wagner Group private military company, we can estimate that prisoners may make up as much as a third of Russia’s military fatalities over the three years of the invasion. Many of these individuals lived in correctional facilities, effectively cut off from broader society, for years on end.

“The losses are felt most by segments of Russian society with fewer resources, be they educational, financial, or political,” says Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, director of the Russia Institute at King’s College London.

“The Kremlin seems to have designed it this way, ensuring that the most privileged sections of society remain largely disconnected from the war. Hence recruitment of prisoners and foreign mercenaries.”

“In small towns, people are far more aware of the scale of casualties. The war has hit social groups that lack the means not only to protest but even to express their views openly. Discussions are confined to private conversations,” she adds.

Only 30% of Russians have had direct exposure to the war, either by fighting in it or family connections to combatants, according to a public opinion poll from the Chronicles project in September 2024. The proportion of Ukrainians who know someone killed or wounded is almost 80%.

Measuring genuine support for the war in Russia is difficult, since many respondents fear speaking honestly. But a study commissioned by the PROPA project, supported by the University of Helsinki, found that 43% of surveyed Russians openly backed the invasion.

“Would public attitudes toward the war be different if more people personally knew the fallen?” asks leading Russian sociologist Viktor Vakhshtayn. “Without a doubt.”

Russia’s actual losses are almost certainly substantially higher than open-source data can reveal. The military analysts we have consulted estimate that the BBC’s research, which is based on graveyards, war memorials, and obituaries, probably captures only 45% to 65% of total casualties.

Added to which, the bodies of many of those killed in recent months likely remain on the battlefield, since retrieving them requires living soldiers to risk exposure to drone strikes.

Given the estimate above, the true number of Russian military deaths could range from 146,194 to 211,169. If one adds estimated losses from DPR and LPR forces, the total number of Russian-aligned fatalities may range from 167,194 to 234,669.

Russia last officially reported its military losses in September 2022, and cited fewer than 6,000 deaths.

Ukraine last updated its casualty figures in December 2024, when President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged 43,000 Ukrainian deaths among soldiers and officers. Western analysts believe this figure to be an under-estimate.

The website Ukraine Losses, which compiles casualty data from open sources, currently lists more than 70,400 surnames of Ukrainian soldiers. Our verification of a random sample of 400 of them found the database to be reliable.

The Ukrainian casualty list is likely more complete than the Russian equivalent, as Ukrainian presidential decrees on posthumous military awards remain publicly accessible. In Russia such data is classified.

As the war approaches its fourth year, global attention has shifted to the new U.S. administration’s push for peace negotiations. We continue to monitor activity at Russian military cemeteries and war memorials, and analyse obituaries, which have surged sharply in number since September last year.

With its sun-drenched lifeguard towers, bronzed surfers and bikini-clad volleyball players, Will Rogers State Beach is one of the most recognizable stretches of sand in the world thanks to the global cult classic “Baywatch”.

But now the iconic beach is surrounded by the ruins of burned homes and palm trees, its parking lot a sorting ground for hazardous waste from the wildfires. The beach babes have been replaced by Environmental Protection Agency crews in hazmat suits sifting through melted electric car batteries and other hazardous waste before it’s trucked away to landfills.

The Palisades and Eaton fires generated a staggering amount of debris, estimated to be 4.5 million tonnes. In comparison, the devastating Maui fires of 2023 generated about 400,000 tonnes, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Those fires took three months of clean-up by the EPA, which is in charge of removing hazardous waste. But now the agency is hoping to finish their job in LA in just a month – by 25 February – after President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding the EPA “expedite the bulk removal of contaminated and general debris”.

The decision to sort through the hazardous waste along the coast has prompted protests and as the clean-up of fire debris moves at unprecedented speeds, many are asking if and when the ocean water will be safe for swimming and surfing.

“In this very vulnerable place, they’re sorting this very hazardous, hazardous stuff,” said actor and environmentalist Bonnie Wright. “To me, this feels like 10 steps backwards, because you’re literally putting this waste even closer to the beach than it already is in the burn sites.”

Ms Wright, who played Ginny Weasly in the Harry Potter films, wrote a book on sustainability and devotes most of her time now to environmental causes. While their battle to move sorting sites away from the coast ultimately failed, she said activists were successful in urging the EPA to move burned electric vehicle batteries to the Will Rogers site down the road and away from the sensitive Topanga Creek watershed.

The EPA said the burned vehicle batteries are an especially dangerous challenge but that the agency has the expertise to deal with them. To sift waste, they need a large space with roads big enough for truck traffic – which is why the Pacific Coast Highway, which runs along the beach, is more attractive than inside the windy, mountainous roads of the Palisades.

When lithium ion batteries are damaged – especially by the high heat and flames of a wildfire – they have the potential for reigniting and exploding days, weeks, or even months after they’ve been impacted, said Steve Calanog, the EPA’s incident commander for the LA fires.

“We have to treat them like unexploded ordinance, or, as the military calls it UXO,” he said.

Although some have questioned the speed with which the EPA has moved to clean up the toxic debris, he said there is no time to waste.

“We have to do this very quickly,” he said, noting that they started sorting waste even as the fires were still raging.

“If we are delayed, the risk of impacting the ocean, it goes up again.”

Mr Calanog was also in charge of the EPA response to the Maui fires, which may hold clues for how to measure what is safe and reasonable when it comes to testing water and soil samples.

Many are concerned about the impacts of heavy metals and chemicals in the air and water after the fires. In Maui, it’s been nearly 18 months since the fires and a small part of the coast around Lahaina is still closed to the public. The Army Corps of Engineers – which removes heavy debris after the EPA removes hazardous waste – just finished their last haul from Lahaina on 20 February.

But most of Maui has remained open to locals and tourists and the Hawaii Department of Health announced eight months after the fires that the coastal waters around Lahaina were safe for ocean recreation.

The scale of the clean-up from the Los Angeles fires, however, is unprecedented and the largest in US history.

LA County closed beaches along a nine-mile (14 km) stretch for weeks following the fires in January. Then torrential rain – while helping douse any smouldering embers – caused mudslides in the burn area and runoff of toxic ash and chemicals into the ocean, prompting further closures.

Now most beaches are reopened but a water advisory remains in effect along the coast from Santa Monica to Malibu until further notice advising “beach goers may recreate on the sand but continue to be advised to stay away from visible fire debris and to stay out of the ocean water during any posted ocean advisory”.

Only the most dedicated and local surfers could access the beaches in the burn area anyway – there’s no parking or stopping for about 9 miles along Pacific Coast Highway, which is clogged with trucks and workers cleaning up debris.

Though some will risk most anything to catch a good wave.

While touring the EPA sorting site, Annelisa Moe said she saw two surfers in the water at a popular surf break on Topanga Beach while she watched workers across the street in full PPE handling burned EV car batteries.

“The water looked like chocolate milk with like brown foam on it,” recalled Ms Moe, who is the associate director of Science & Policy, Water Quality at Heal the Bay, an environmental nonprofit dedicated to making coastal watersheds healthy.

“It was one of those days, in between storms, like beautiful, sunny, 75 degree weather type of days,” she said. “And so it felt a little bit odd to be there amidst the destruction while we have this perfect beach day.”

Jenny Newman of the Los Angeles regional water quality control board told an LA County Public Health virtual town hall on 18 February that the initial water quality tests they conducted on 22-27 January “came back better than we expected.” But the water board cautioned that people should follow county advisories to stay out of the water near the burn site.

Dozens of scientists and volunteers from Heal The Bay and a myriad of private and public sector agencies have also been testing water and soil samples to see what levels of forever chemicals and heavy metals are present in the ocean, but toxic analysis can take 4-6 weeks and there’s very little data available.

At the Surfrider Foundation, volunteers test the ocean water all year long. But their small lab is testing for fecal bacteria – not arsenic. Now it’s too dangerous to expose volunteers in the burn areas, so the staff have partnered with Heal the Bay and the University of Southern California to process their water samples.

“All our community members are ocean lovers. We have the same questions they have,” said Eugenia Ermacora of the Surfrider Foundation. “It’s a concern, and everybody is asking, When can we go back? When is it safe? And I wish I had an answer.”

Chad White, a surfer who grew up in the Palisades and who protested against the EPA sorting site along the Pacific Coast Highway, said there’s no way he would surf there now – it would be too painful to look at the coast and be reminded of what has been lost. And there’s too much metal and other debris in the surf.

“It’s taken my desire to surf down to zero, not just because of the water quality, but just because of what’s happening,” he said over coffee in Topanga Canyon. He rode his first wave in 1977 at Will Rogers State Beach and taught his son to surf at age four and his wife at age 60.

“It’s earth-shattering to someone like me,” he said of the destruction along the coast. “That beach means something to me too, and I’m one person. There are tens of, maybe hundreds or thousands of us that utilize the beach every day.”

Many of Mr White’s friends lost their homes and he said people are traumatised to see what the landscape and coast around them looks like now.

“Every movie that you see, every film that makes anybody from any other part of the world want to come to California is based on their seeing that Pacific Coast Highway and those beautiful homes in Malibu, across along the beach. They’re all gone,” he said. “Now it’s a toxic waste dump.”

“Gimme a hug, Gimme a hug!,” pleads Drake on one track from his new album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U.

After the month and year he’s had, perhaps it’s no surprise.

As rap battle humiliations go, the rapper’s defeat by hip-hop’s lyrical supremo Kendrick Lamar has become a cultural phenomenon, and even seen Drake sue Universal Music Group.

Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us, a viral hit since last summer, accuses the Canadian star of inappropriate relationships with underage girls – claims Drake denies.

First the track swept up at the Grammys, with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé dancing along. Then came Lamar’s Super Bowl half-time show, with a record 133.5 million people estimated to have tuned in to watch the whole stadium sing the lyrics accusing Drake of being a paedophile.

And on Friday the single finally topped the UK charts nine months after release, matching its stateside success.

But rather than lay low, Drake, the dominant chart-topper of the past 15 years, is coming out fighting with an “intriguing” strategy after being put in a “cultural chokehold”, says crisis PR expert Mark Borkowski.

As Lamar grins through the bright lights of his victory lap, Drake’s chosen to sidestep the beef – bar one embittered freestyle denouncing fake friends – and instead focused on repositioning himself.

Currently on tour in Australia, he’s been loosening up, gently leaning into the softer image he’s spent recent years trying to toughen, even performing an intimate karaoke bar set of early sultry hits.

Then on Valentine’s Day, almost a week after the Super Bowl, he returned with $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, a full-length collaboration with PartyNextDoor that harks back to his R&B-tinged rise.

Full of trap-soul beats teasing romantic escapades, Borkowski calls it a “calculated retreat into the familiar, comfortable territory” of the more sensitive “certified lover boy” persona that dominated Drake’s initial breakthrough albums like Thank Me Later and 2011’s Take Care.

In the 2010s, Drake was the most-listened to Spotify artist, racking up more than 28 billion streams, with his most popular song, One Dance, played 1.7 billion times alone.

Even if Not Like Us saw the crown slip, he remained the fourth most-streamed artist on the platform last year.

“His reputation might be in tatters within certain circles, but commercially, he remains bulletproof,” says Borkowski.

It helps that Drake harnessed mass appeal by sampling a myriad of genres in his pomp of pop-rap dominance.

His catalogue – boasting 45 UK top 10 singles, (including six number ones), and over 300 hits in the US Hot 100 – inhaled fumes of grime, dancehall and afrobeat.

The camouflage from his status as a commercial chameleon means that “despite the clear L and Not Like Us becoming a defining moment in rap history, Drake keeps moving”, says Borkowski.

On $ome $exy $ongs 4 U’s track Gimme A Hug, Drake seems to wave the white flag in his Kendrick battle saying: “[Expletive] a rap beef, I’m tryna get the party lit.”

It’s worked, too, at least commercially. According to Billboard, Apple Music confirmed $ome $exy $ongs 4 U’s release broke first-day R&B streaming records on the platform.

In Friday’s official UK charts, the album came in at number three.

Three of its songs also made up the top 40 – including Gimme A Hug.

Critical reception, meanwhile, has been mixed. Vulture described it as “yearning pre-beef star finding his footing”, with a sound “conscientiously re-establishing” his earlier aesthetic.

Rolling Stone’s Jeff Ihaza, in a three-and-a-half-star review, spoke of a “return to form from an artist whose back was truly against the wall”.

Pitchfork’s Alphonse Pierre, however, was scathing, lambasting “a desperate album from one of rap’s most notorious narcissists”.

Regardless, Borkowski is clear on the strategy – Gimme A Hug, like the album, isn’t a response track, it’s an abdication from the fight. A recognition that Drake can still win, just on a different rap turf.

So, where is Drake headed if he’s conceding the rap battlefield? The answer is the nostalgia play.

Weeks before the release of this new album, Drake opened his Australian tour by coming out on stage in a vest with smoking bullet holes. He closed the show by declaring: “My name is Drake, I started in 2008, I came all the way from Toronto, Canada. The year is now 2025, and Drizzy Drake is very much still alive.”

For music and culture journalist Manu Ekanayake, the new album revisiting his early 2010s era, when he “sounded confident in what he was trying to do”, mirrors this.

But, he warns, “after three recent albums of being the least convincing tough guy in town, can he really go back to being the singing party boy?”.

He’s certainly going to try. Days after the album drop, Drake announced an unprecedented three-night takeover of London’s Wireless Festival this summer, with each night’s set focusing on a different part of his career.

Organisers confirmed the dates sold out in record time. For Borkowski, this is a “masterclass in reframing”.

“Drake is curating his own legacy, reminding people of his longevity, and shifting the conversation away from defeat and back to dominance.”

Ekanayake is less sure of the long-term potential: “Now at 38, it all sounds very different from when he was in the first flush of success in his 20s.

“What seemed before like a young artist giving hip-hop a new approach for a new generation, now sounds like it’s the end of something.”

But, ultimately, Borkowski goes back to the bottom line. “His fans aren’t music purists, they’re Drake fans – here for the lifestyle, the vibes, and the brand. And as long as he delivers that, nothing truly sticks.”

The true power move? Securing Live Nation for his rebrand, says Borkowski.

“It’s about staying relevant, ensuring the hits don’t stop and keeping the machine running. In today’s music industry, perception is currency, and despite the setbacks, Drake is still cashing in.”

Good thing too, as Lamar’s Not Like Us shows no signs of slowing down on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Compton star’s already made US history by becoming the first rapper to have three albums in the Billboard top 10 – with his latest release GNX also number one.

The battle may be over, but the chart war has just begun.

Sir Keir Starmer will discuss the importance of Ukraine’s sovereignty in talks with Donald Trump next week, he said in a call with the country’s president.

The UK prime minister reiterated the UK’s “ironclad support” for Kyiv when he spoke to Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.

The two leaders held their second telephone conversation in four days following US President Trump’s decision to re-open relations with Russia and seek an end to the war in Ukraine.

Monday marks three years since Vladimir Putin’s invasion, which UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he will mark with further sanctions on Russia.

On Saturday, 2,000 people marched to the Russian embassy in west London , i n support of Ukraine ahead of the anniversary of the invasion.

According to a Downing Street spokesperson the prime minister also said “Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations to end the war” and it could be sure of “the UK’s commitment to securing a just and enduring peace to bring an end to Russia’s illegal war”.

Giving details about the phone call, Downing Street said Sir Keir and Zelensky “agreed that this was a significant moment for the future of Ukraine and European security at large”.

Sir Keir also told Zelensky “that safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty was essential to deter future aggression from Russia”.

The prime minister added “he would be progressing these important discussions in the coming days and weeks, including with Trump whilst visiting Washington DC next week”.

Zelensky said he had a productive talk with Sir Keir, with the pair coordinating “our military cooperation, joint steps, and engagements for the coming week, which will be very active”.

In a post on X, he wrote: “The UK and its people are among Ukraine’s biggest supporters, and we deeply appreciate this.”

Writing in the Sun Sir Keir said Trump was right that European nations must take greater responsibility for their security and increase defence spending.

“We have talked about this for long enough. Now it is time for action.

“President Trump is also right to grasp the nettle and see if a good peace deal is on the table.

“Every time I have spoken with him, I am struck by his commitment to peace,” he wrote.

Sir Keir also said Ukraine must have a voice in negotiations and needed strong security guarantees, adding: “I believe America must be part of that guarantee.”

• ‘Gruesome sell-out or a chance to lead’: What will happen when Starmer visits Trump?
• How Putin and Trump shook up the world in a week
• Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia
• ‘Trump hasn’t got any plan’: Russians speak to BBC after three years of war

In a separate call on Saturday Sir Keir spoke with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and they agreed Europe “must step up for the good of collective European security”, Downing Street said.

The UK foreign secretary said upcoming additional UK sanctions on Russia would erode President Putin’s “military machine”.

“I plan to announce the largest package of sanctions against Russia since the early days of the war,” Lammy said, ahead of Monday’s anniversary.

The UK will continue to work with the US and Europe to achieve “sustainable, just peace,” he added.

Sir Keir’s meeting with Trump on Thursday in Washington DC comes after a week which saw a flurry of summits and phone calls as European leaders scrambled to work out how to approach the US president’s sudden thawing of relations with Russia.

Ahead of visits to the White House by Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said the pair “haven’t done anything” to end the war in Ukraine.

He also said Zelensky had “no cards” in peace negotiations and that he did not think “he’s very important to be in meetings”.

But UK Defence Secretary John Healey wrote in The Sunday Times newspaper: “Any negotiations about Ukraine cannot happen without Ukraine. We all want the fighting to end, but an insecure peace risks more war.”

He added: “I’m proud of UK leadership and UK unity on Ukraine.”

Last Monday, European leaders held a hastily-arranged summit in Paris – a day before US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, and amid fears that Ukraine and Europe could be excluded from peace negotiations.

On Tuesday, Trump called Zelensky a “dictator” and said he should “never have started” the war, despite Russia invading Ukraine.

Zelensky responded by saying the US president was “living in a disinformation space” created by Russia.

On Saturday, people took to the streets of London in response to the US position on Ukraine, marching from outside the Ukrainian embassy to the Russian embassy.

Margaret Owen, 93, accused Trump of “appeasement”, saying she remembered the Munich Agreement in which western powers signed a deal with Hitler in the years before World War Two.

“It’s outrageous. We can’t let the world be dictated to by these two impossible people,” she said of Trump and Putin.

The chair of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, Emily Thornberry, was among the marchers and argued for a less aggressive approach. The Labour MP said: “We want to influence the US president and we agree there must be peace. Why shout at him?

“You’d get a short-term buzz from shouting at Trump but if you want to influence him, let’s try and influence him.”

“Ukraine needs to be at the table, you can’t decide the future of Ukraine without Ukraine there and you can’t just capitulate to Putin.

“They have to be invited into this process by the Americans and Russians.”

Ukrainian Oleksandra Udovenko, who is from Kyiv and studying in the UK, said: “I’m here to protect my country’s interests, my country’s independence, and my country’s choice and my country’s right to be independent of any empire in this world.”

Donald Trump made a lot of promises while running for president. He pledged to cut taxes, reduce prices, stem undocumented migration, raise revenue and strengthen American industry with new tariffs and end wars.

Some of his proposals were detailed by his policy team or presented by Trump himself, in “Agenda 47” videos on his campaign website. Others were offered seemingly off-the-cuff – a product of Trump’s “think out loud” style and openness to adopting ideas others had suggested to him.

In his victory speech on 6 November, he made it clear he intended to keep the promises that sent him back to the White House: “I will govern by a simple motto: Promises made, promises kept.”

It’s become a slogan of sorts in his first month in office, which has been marked by a blizzard of activity and notable progress in achieving some of his goals.

In areas such as immigration and foreign policy, Trump has broad power to act unilaterally – and has done so. In other areas, he has run up against legal challenges and political obstacles. Many of the other promises he’s made will ultimately require action from Congress, under narrow Republican control, to become permanent.

Here’s a look at some of Trump’s biggest first-day vows and his efforts to turn them into reality.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

This is perhaps his biggest challenge, given how often inflation topped the list of voters’ priorities during the election campaign. In his inaugural address, Trump promised to “marshal the vast powers” of his Cabinet to rapidly bring down costs and prices, but it’s unclear how. One way, he says, is by increasing drilling to reduce energy costs.

A steep price rise in January, the biggest monthly increase for 16 months, has complicated Trump’s task. He blamed Joe Biden, who left office on 20 January, and Democratic spending. “I had nothing to do with it,” said Trump.

At other times, however, he has admitted it’s hard for US presidents to control prices. But economists warn some of his policies could fuel inflation and polling suggests voters would like to see him doing more.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

Immigration has perhaps been Trump’s main focus since taking power, with more than a dozen executive orders aimed at overhauling the system. His plan to deport foreign nationals in the country illegally, starting with those convicted of crimes, seems to have widespread public support.

But it is uncertain whether he will meet his promise to deport so many. A few raids have made headlines but the number of people being removed does not seem to be record-breaking, according to the daily figures.

In his first month in office, the US deported 37,660 people – less than the monthly average of 57,000 removals and returns in the last full year of Joe Biden’s administration, data obtained by Reuters shows.

A DHS spokesperson told the agency that Biden-era deportation numbers were higher because illegal immigration was higher. Nationwide border encounters decreased 66% in January compared to 2024, according to the White House.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

True to his word, hours after taking the presidential oath, Trump issued pardons and commutations that paved the way for the release of more than 1,500 people convicted or charged in connection with the US Capitol riot. A police officer who was punched that day told the BBC the pardons were a “slap in the face”.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

Trump has initiated the first talks between the US and Russia since the start of the war, but Ukraine has vowed to reject any deal hatched without it, and there’s been an angry exchange between leaders. President Volodymyr Zelensky fears the US president delivering on his campaign promise to end the war but on Moscow’s terms and with no security guarantees. There is also anxiety in European capitals that they are being sidelined, and that Trump may dismantle some of the sanctions imposed on Russia as punishment for the invasion.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

In one of the first acts of his second presidency, Trump ordered an end to an automatic right to American citizenship currently received by nearly anybody born on US soil. Birthright citizenship is not the norm around the world, and Trump’s move targets those who are in the US illegally or on temporary visas.

Opponents say the plan interferes with a right that was established by an amendment to the US Constitution nearly 160 years ago. And the issue could be heading for the Supreme Court – the highest in America – after an appeals court ruled against Trump, upholding a legal block on his plan.

What he’s said:

What he’s done:

Trump announced on 21 January that he would levy blanket tariffs on his neighbours on 1 February, linking them to the flow of drugs and migrants into the US. The president has long seen tariffs, which are a tax on imports, as a way to protect domestic industry and increase revenue. Canada and Mexico said they would enact retaliatory taxes on US imports. But Trump delayed starting the tariffs for one month, after promises by both countries to increase border enforcement. There had also been volatility in the markets and warnings from economic experts that these actions could cause prices to rise.

• All you need to know about Trump presidency
• Is Trump right about unfair trade?
• Fact-checking Trump claims about Ukraine
• What is Doge and why is Musk cutting so many jobs?

One person has been killed and three police officers injured in a knife attack in the eastern French city of Mulhouse.

A 37-year-old Algerian man was arrested at the scene and the prosecutor has opened a terrorist inquiry because the suspect reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar”, or “God is great”.

The man injured two police officers seriously, one in the neck and one in the chest. A 69-year-old Portuguese man who tried to intervene was stabbed and killed.

The suspect was subject to a deportation order because he was on a terrorism watch list, according to the local prosecutor. President Emmanuel Macron said there was “no doubt it was an Islamist terrorist attack”.

After expressing his condolences to the family of the victim, Macron said: “I want to reiterate the determination of the government, and mine, to continue the work to eradicate terrorism on our soil.”

The incident took place at a demonstration in support of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the police officers were on patrol.

“Horror has seized our city,” Mulhouse mayor Michele Lutz said on Facebook.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou posted on X that “fanaticism has struck again and we are in mourning”.

“My thoughts naturally go to the victims and their families, with the firm hope that the injured will recover,” he said.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is expected to visit the scene on Saturday evening.

Driving into Tver, the first thing I notice are the soldiers.

They’re everywhere. On billboards, the sides of buildings, at bus stops. Portraits with the words “Hero of Russia”. Posters of troops with Kalashnikov rifles encouraging the public to “Love, be proud of and defend” Russia.

In other words, to sign up and go and fight in Ukraine. Three years after its full-scale invasion of its neighbour, Russia is seeking new recruits.

Despite all the military imagery around town, if you live in Tver it’s possible to convince yourself that life is normal. The front line is hundreds of miles away.

“Just look around,” Mikhail, a local teacher, tells me. “Cars are passing by and all the shops are open. No shells are falling from anywhere. We are not panicking. We can’t hear any sirens wailing. We do not run to any evacuation points.”

For many Russians their invasion of Ukraine – what the Kremlin still calls a “special military operation” – is something they only encounter on their TV screens.

But for people like Anna, it’s much more real.

“I know a lot of people who went off to fight,” Anna says when we get chatting on the street.

“Some of them never came home. I hope [the war] ends as soon as possible.”

Donald Trump claims that’s what he wants, too. Without inviting Ukraine to the negotiating table, the Trump administration has already entered direct talks with the Russian leadership.

What do Russians make of the US president and his overtures to Moscow?

“Trump is a dark horse,” believes Anna. “I’m not sure what to expect from him.”

Some of the people I talk to in Tver repeat the official narrative they have been hearing for the last three years on state TV: that their country is not the aggressor, that Russia is defending Russians and Russian-speakers in Ukraine and liberating, not occupying, territory.

It doesn’t mean that Russian society as a whole buys into this alternative reality.

“In a society people always prefer to be in the mainstream,” believes Andrei Kolesnikov, a columnist for newtimes.ru and Novaya Gazeta. “If the mainstream is pro-war and the TV says that we are at war with the West, the average citizen will think like this. It’s easier not to think about the details. You want to live peacefully, so why not join the majority?

“Some researchers call this the foetal position. When you defend yourself from this unexplainable world you look like a baby. You say: ‘I can’t explain to myself what is happening. I believe you. You can feed me with words. I’ll accept it.’ This is typical for all societies of this kind: a bit authoritarian, a bit totalitarian.”

Larissa and her husband Valery willingly accept the official line.

“We’re all for the special military operation,” Larissa tells me. “We’re ready to volunteer and go there ourselves!”

They haven’t yet, clearly.

“We hope [Russia] will be victorious. We want Ukraine’s total capitulation.”

The police turn up. They’ve received a call informing them that “suspicious-looking people with a camera” are going around Tver. Meaning us.

They’re polite but want to know why we’re here. They take a statement from our driver. They check our vehicle. They ask me for an official explanation for our visit. I tell them we’re gauging the mood away from Moscow. We show our documents, which are in order.

While we’ve been talking to the officers, a camera crew from Russian state TV has pitched up and started filming us.

“We were just passing,” says the reporter, “and we spotted the police and recognised you. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. “Perhaps you can tell us?”

“What have you been filming?”

“We’ve been talking to people on the street,” I say. “I believe we’re allowed to do that.”

“Yes, in our country we have freedom of speech,” the reporter replies. “Perhaps the police just want to help you? It’s unpleasant to hear Western TV spreading fake news that there’s no free speech in Russia. You’re talking to people freely and no one gets in your way.”

“Apart from you,” I point out. “And the police officers standing next to our car.”

The incident, which lasted about an hour, is no real surprise. Three years of war have fuelled suspicion of the West inside Russia. Early signs of a thaw in US-Russian relations have yet to change that.

From talking to people in Tver it becomes clear that Russians are hoping that an end to the fighting will bring economic relief.

“Prices are so high now for the things I need most,” says Yulia as she rocks her baby to sleep in a pram. “Like the price of potatoes and onions. I really feel it.”

But teacher Mikhail doesn’t feel that Donald Trump has any strategy for securing peace.

“Unfortunately, Trump hasn’t got any plan,” believes Mikhail. “He is an improviser. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do. My sympathies are with him. I’m glad he won. But speaking about this episode, we’re all in the dark. And Trump is in the dark himself.”

Seven churches have been targeted in a suspected arson attack that occurred overnight in New Zealand.

Four churches in the town of Masterton, north of the capital Wellington, sustained “moderate to significant” damage, while evidence was found to suggest three more buildings had been targeted but did not catch fire.

Crews from across the Wairarapa region responded to the fires at about 04:30 local time on Saturday (15:30 GMT on Friday).

“The fires are being treated as suspicious and have been referred to police,” a Fire and Emergency spokesperson said. No arrests have been made.

The Anglican Church Of The Epiphany, St Patrick’s Catholic Church Masterton, Masterton Baptist Church and Equippers Church Masterton were all set on fire, authorities said.

Descriptions of broken windows, burnt chairs and scorched upholstery have been reported in local media. All fires have been extinguished and no-one was injured.

Masterton Mayor Gary Caffell said the apparent attacks had shocked the community, adding that they had come out of the blue.

He told local media: “You just don’t expect something this sort of thing to happen, and particularly in a place like Masterton.”

Local MP Mike Butterick expressed his “deep sorrow” and described first responders as “heroes” in a statement.

A funeral home in the same area which contains a chapel was also set on fire at around 10:00, but no one was in the building.

Police remain at the scene and are asking witnesses to come forward.

Officers will also be conducting patrols in Masterton to reassure residents throughout Saturday, and in the nearby towns of Featherston and Carterton.

A video circulating on social media shows a man claiming responsibility for the attacks, expressing anti-religious and anti-monarchist sentiments.

Police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand have been approached for further comment.

Religious buildings in New Zealand have suffered a spate of arson attacks in recent years.

Last year, a church property in Auckland was subjected to two arson attacks in the same night. A mosque was also set on fire in the same area in November.

In 2019, 51 people were murdered at two mass shootings in mosques in Christchurch. The man responsible Brenton Tarrant said he had also planned to burn down the mosques, wanting to “inflict as many fatalities as possible”.

An aid worker has died from gunshot wounds in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where Rwanda-backed rebels who captured two key cities in recent weeks are trying to seize more territory.

Jerry Muhindo Kavali, 49, was injured two days ago by a bullet that struck the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) office in Masisi where he was working.

He was taken to hospital in Goma for life-saving treatment but died of his wounds on Saturday.

Colleagues say he was deeply dedicated to humanitarian work and “always had a smile on his face”.

Kavali’s death has angered aid workers trying to help the tens of thousands of Congolese people whose lives have been destroyed by the war.

“Even war has its rules”, said MSF in response to the news.

The town of Masisi, where the MSF worker was shot, has witnessed fierce fighting between militias allied with the Congolese army and rebels belonging to the M23 and Alliance Fleuve Congo rebel groups.

The bullet that killed Kavali was “one of many bullets to hit our premises over recent weeks”, the MSF head of programmes Stephan Goetghebuer said.

Key areas already under M23 control include provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu, and the rebels appear to be continuing their advance.

Eastern DR Congo is rich in minerals and this battle for control of the region partly has its roots in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

It has been riven by conflict for more than 30 years and attempts in recent years to integrate rebels into the Congolese army have failed.

Experts now fear what effects the conflict will have on the wider East Africa region.

On Friday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the M23 offensive in eastern DR Congo, urging Rwanda to stop supporting the rebels, and saying they should immediately leave Congolese territory “without preconditions”.

This week, the US announced sanctions on M23 Spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka and Rwandan minister James Kabarebe for his alleged role in the conflict.

• What’s the fighting in DR Congo all about?
• Links to Rwanda fuel discrimination against DR Congo’s Tutsis
• DR Congo’s failed gamble on Romanian mercenaries
• The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR Congo
• Your phone, a rare metal and the war in DR Congo

Mali’s military government says it is investigating allegations that soldiers “coldly executed” at least 24 civilians in the north of the country on Monday.

That claim was made by a separatist Tuareg rebel alliance, called Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), which is battling the Malian government in the same region.

The FLA accuse Malian forces and Wagner mercenaries of intercepting two passenger vehicles travelling to Algeria from the Malian city of Gao and killing the civilians on board, including women and children.

In a statement, army chief Gen Oumar Diarra said the allegations “relayed by terrorist networks, allies and sponsors” follow other “unfounded” claims against state forces.

For many years, the Malian government has been struggling against both Tuareg rebels seeking a breakaway state in the north and jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

The military which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021 hired Russian mercenaries from the paramilitary group Wagner to help improve security in the country.

Both government forces and the Russians have often been accused by rights groups of committing gross human rights abuses against civilians, which they deny.

Last month, Mali was one of three countries under military rule to leave the West African regional bloc Ecowas, after refusing its demands to restore civilian rule.

The withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger dealt a huge blow to Ecowas, which at 50 years old is considered Africa’s most important regional group.

Mali’s military leaders also ended ties with former colonial power France, whose troops left the country in 2022 after more than a decade fighting Islamist insurgents.

The following year, all 12,000 UN peacekeepers left Mali on the junta’s instructions.

• Tributes to Mali’s trailblazing film-maker Souleymane Cissé
• Dozens killed in Mali illegal gold mine collapse
• Why Russia’s Africa propaganda warrior was sent home
• The coups that promised – and failed – to bring security

A 19-year-old Syrian man suspected of stabbing a Spanish tourist at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial had planned for several weeks to kill Jewish people, Berlin police believe.

The attack took place on Friday evening, with the assailant approaching the 30-year-old victim from behind before stabbing him and fleeing the scene.

A man was arrested nearby after police noticed blood stains on his hands and clothing.

The suspect was carrying a prayer rug, a copy of the Quran, and the suspected weapon in his backpack, suggesting “a religious motivation”, police said.

After being taken to hospital with serious wounds to his neck, the victim underwent an operation and was put into an induced coma, but his life is no longer in danger.

Police say they are examining possible connections to the current Middle East conflict – but said there is currently no evidence of links to any groups or individuals.

They are also investigating whether the suspect is suffering from mental illness. He had no prior criminal record and was not known to the police, they added.

Six people who witnessed the attack are receiving counselling from local authorities.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser described the attack as an “abhorrent and brutal crime” for which the suspect “must be punished with the full force of the law”.

“We will use all means to deport violent offenders back to Syria,” she said.

Several stabbing and car-ramming attacks have taken place in Germany in recent months, in the cities of Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg and Munich.

All of the alleged attackers were migrants. Immigration has become a core issue for voters ahead of federal elections taking place on Sunday.

The Berlin Holocaust memorial was opened in 2005 to commemorate the six million Jews of Europe murdered by the Nazi regime, and comprises 2,711 stone slabs.

Hours after the attack in the German capital, Swedish police said they had apprehended three men near the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, on suspicion of preparing to commit violent crime. It is not believed the incidents are linked.

US President Donald Trump has fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown, the highest-ranking officer in the country, as part of a major shake-up of top military leadership.

“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country,” Trump posted on social media. He said five other top officers were also being replaced.

Gen Brown was the second black officer to hold the post, the holder of which advises both the president and the secretary of defence on national security.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously said that Gen Brown should be fired because of his “woke” focus on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in the military.

Later on Friday, Hegseth announced the firings of two additional senior officers: Chief of Naval Operations Adm Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen Jim Slife.

Adm Franchetti was the first woman to lead the US Navy.

• 19 things Trump and his team did this week

All three top officers removed on Friday were appointed by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.

Hegseth said in a statement: “Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars.”

Trump said he would nominate Air Force Lt Gen Dan Caine – a career F-16 pilot who most recently served as CIA associate director for military affairs – as the new chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

Last year, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump recalled first meeting Gen Caine in Iraq. “He looked better than any movie actor you could get,” Trump told the audience.

In the same speech, he praised the US military but said it was “woke at the top”.

Gen Brown had been visiting troops at the southern US border on Friday, roughly two hours before Trump’s post announcing his departure.

Rumours had been swirling this week that the president would remove the commander, whose term was set to expire in 2027.

Gen Brown made headlines in 2020 when he spoke out about race following the death of George Floyd.

He posted a video message to the US Air Force describing the pressures he had felt as one of the few black men in his unit, including being questioned about his credentials.

In 2022, while chief of staff of the air force, Gen Brown co-signed a memo setting out diversity goals to boost the proportion of minority officer applicants while adjusting lower the rate of white candidates, according to the Air Force Times.

Colin Powell was the first black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, serving from 1989-93.

One of Trump’s first acts after being sworn in last month was to fire the first female commandant of the Coast Guard, citing “excessive focus” on diversity.

In November, before he was confirmed, Hegseth said on a podcast that there were many problems in the military, including diversity initiatives, which the Trump administration should “course correct”.

“First of all, you got to fire the chairman of joint chiefs,” Hegseth said in describing the steps he believed Trump should take.

The Pentagon also announced on Friday that it would cut its budget and let go of 5,400 probationary employees next week.

Meanwhile, a federal court in Maryland temporarily blocked Trump from implementing bans on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.

District Judge Adam Abelson ruled that the directives by Trump may violate free-speech rights in the US constitution.

Hunter Schafer, a transgender woman and star of hit HBO teen drama Euphoria, has said a new US passport lists her as male, despite selecting female when she filled out the paperwork.

“I was shocked,” Schafer said in a TikTok video showing the “M” marker on her new travel document. Her previous passport listed her as female.

“I just didn’t think it was actually going to happen,” the 26-year-old added, criticising US President Donald Trump’s policies on gender.

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order recognising only two sexes and declaring they cannot be changed. The US now issues passports with just male or female designations, based on a person’s sex recorded at birth.

Previously, Americans could select their gender for passports and also request to be listed as “X”, which the Biden administration said in 2022 was being offered as an option “for non-binary, intersex and gender non-confirming individuals”.

Schafer said she had applied for a new passport after losing her old one while filming overseas.

She filled out forms indicating she was female, but when she picked up her replacement, it listed her as male, according to her post.

Schafer said she intended to travel abroad next week and anticipated challenges at the airport because of the new passport.

She said she believed it was “a direct result of the administration our country is currently operating under”.

Trump’s executive order says of the male and female sexes that they “are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality”.

It adds: “‘Sex’ is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of ‘gender identity’.”

The US state department, which issues passports, says on its website that it will “only issue passports with an M or F sex marker that match the customer’s biological sex at birth”.

After learning about Trump’s executive order, Schafer said her first reaction was: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Today I saw it,” she told fans.

Schafer added: “I just feel like it’s important to share that it’s not just talk – that this is real and it’s happening and no-one – no matter their circumstance, no matter how wealthy or white or pretty or whatever – is excluded.”

The Euphoria star said she changed her gender markers for her driver’s licence and passports when she was a teenager, but that her birth certificate was never amended.

“I’m pretty sure it’s going to come along with having to out myself to border patrol agents and that whole gig, much more often than I would like to or is really necessary,” she said.

On the HBO drama, now in its third season, she plays a transgender teenager, Jules Vaughn, who has a complicated relationship with the main character Rue.