On the day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Anton says the nuclear weapons base he was serving at was put on full combat alert.

“Before that, we had only exercises. But on the day the war started, the weapons were fully in place,” says the former officer in the Russian nuclear forces. “We were ready to launch the forces into the sea and air and, in theory, carry out a nuclear strike.”

I met Anton in a secret location outside Russia. For his own protection, the BBC will not reveal where. We have also changed his name and are not showing his face.

Anton was an officer at a top-secret nuclear weapons facility in Russia.

He has shown us documents confirming his unit, rank and base.

The BBC is unable to independently verify all the events he described, although they do chime with Russian statements at the time.

Three days after troops poured over Ukraine’s borders, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces had been ordered into a “special mode of combat service”.

Anton says that combat alert was in place on day one of the war and claims his unit was “shut inside the base”.

“All we had was Russian state TV,” says the former officer, “I didn’t really know what it all meant. I automatically carried out my duties. We weren’t fighting in the war, we were just guarding the nuclear weapons.”

The state of alert was cancelled, he adds, after two to three weeks.

Anton’s testimony offers an insight into the top-secret inner workings of the nuclear forces in Russia. It is extremely rare for service members to talk to journalists.

“There is a very strict selection process there. Everyone is a professional soldier – no conscripts,” he explains.

“There are constant checks and lie-detector tests for everyone. The pay is much higher, and the troops aren’t sent to war. They’re there to either repel, or carry out, a nuclear strike.”

The former officer says life was tightly controlled.

“It was my responsibility to ensure the soldiers under me didn’t take any phones on to the nuclear base,” he explains.

“It’s a closed society, there are no strangers there. If you want your parents to visit, you need to submit a request to the FSB Security Service three months in advance.”

Anton was part of the base’s security unit – a rapid-reaction force that guarded the nuclear weapons.

“We had constant training exercises. Our reaction time was two minutes,” he says, with a hint of pride.

Russia has around 4,380 operational nuclear warheads, according to the Federation of American Scientists, but only 1,700 are “deployed” or ready for use. All the Nato member states combined possess a similar number.

There are also concerns about whether Putin could choose to deploy “non-strategic”, often called tactical, nuclear weapons. These are smaller missiles that generally don’t cause widespread radioactive fallout.

Their use would nevertheless lead to a dangerous escalation in the war.

The Kremlin has been doing all it can to test the West’s nerves.

Only last week Putin ratified changes to the nuclear doctrine – the official rules dictating how and when Russia can launch nuclear weapons.

The doctrine now says Russia can launch if it comes under “massive attack” from conventional missiles by a non-nuclear state but “with the participation or support of a nuclear state”.

Russian officials say the updated doctrine “effectively eliminates” the possibility of its defeat on the battlefield.

But is Russia’s nuclear arsenal fully functional?

Some Western experts have suggested its weapons mostly date from the Soviet era, and might not even work.

The former nuclear forces officer rejected that opinion as a “very simplified view from so-called experts”.

“There might be some old-fashioned types of weapons in some areas, but the country has an enormous nuclear arsenal, a huge amount of warheads, including constant combat patrol on land, sea and air.”

Russia’s nuclear weapons were fully operational and battle-ready, he maintained. “The work to maintain the nuclear weapons is carried out constantly, it never stops even for one minute.”

Shortly after the full-scale war began, Anton said he was given what he describes as a “criminal order” – to hold lectures with his troops using very specific written guidelines.

“They said that Ukrainian civilians are combatants and should be destroyed!” he exclaims. “That’s a red line for me – it’s a war crime. I said I won’t spread this propaganda.”

Senior officers reprimanded Anton by transferring him to a regular assault brigade in another part of the country. He was told he would be sent to war.

These units are often sent in to battle as the “first wave” and a number of Russian deserters have told the BBC that “troublemakers” who object to the war have been used as “cannon fodder”.

The Russian embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment.

Before he could be sent to the front line, Anton signed a statement refusing to take part in the war and a criminal case was opened against him. He showed us documents confirming his transfer to the assault brigade and details of the criminal case.

He then decided to flee the country with the help of a volunteer organisation for deserters.

“If I had run away from the nuclear forces base, then the local FSB Security Service would’ve reacted decisively and I probably wouldn’t have been able to leave the country,” he said.

But he believes that, because he had been transferred to an ordinary assault brigade, the system of top-level security clearance failed.

Anton said he wanted the world to know that many Russian soldiers were against the war.

The volunteer organisation that helps deserters, “Idite Lesom” [‘Go by the Forest’, in English, or ‘Get Lost’] has told the BBC that the number of deserters seeking help has risen to 350 a month.

The risks to those fleeing are growing, too. At least one deserter has been killed after fleeing abroad, and there have been several cases of men being forcibly returned to Russia and put on trial.

Although Anton has left Russia, he says security services are still looking for him there: “I take precautions here, I work off the books and I don’t show up in any official systems.”

He says he has stopped speaking to his friends at the nuclear base because he could put them in danger: “They must take lie-detector tests, and any contact with me could lead to a criminal case.”

But he is under no illusion about the risk he is himself in by helping other soldiers to flee.

“I understand the more I do that, the higher the chances they could try and kill me.”

Two days after deadly violence in Sambhal left four people dead and many others injured, the city in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh remains gripped by tension.

The violence broke out on Sunday during a court-ordered survey of the centuries-old Shahi Jama Masjid (mosque) that some Hindu groups claim was built at the site of a destroyed temple.

Police said the protesters, most of them Muslims, pelted them with stones and that they fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. They said 20 policemen were injured.

But family members of the four Muslim men who died on Sunday alleged that they were shot dead by police – a charge the police have denied.

Officials say the situation is now under control but a large number of police and paramilitaries are deployed around the mosque and the rest of the city.

The streets are eerily silent, littered with stones and dotted with ash marks where vehicles were set on fire.

Local authorities have imposed a ban on entry of outsiders, social activists and politicians to the city until 1 December. Internet services have been suspended and schools have been shut.

Police have registered seven cases in connection with the violence and at least 25 people have been arrested.

On Monday, BBC Hindi met the grief-stricken families of the men killed during the violence.

In the Tabela Kot area, Idro Ghazi continues to grieve inconsolably. Her 34-year-old son, Naeem Ghazi, was among the dead.

Her son, she said, was not a part of the protest and had gone to the market to purchase oil. He was surrounded and shot near the mosque, she alleged.

Despite her grief, the devastated mother has decided not to lodge a case against the police.

“We do not have the courage to fight the police and the government,” she said, her voice heavy with sorrow.

About two kilometres away, in the Baghicha Sarayatrin colony, a silent crowd had gathered outside a mosque. Nafees, who lost his 22-year-old son Bilal in the violence, sat on the steps with his head bowed.

His son, he said, had gone to buy clothes when he was killed. “The police shot him in the chest,” he alleged.

The police have denied these allegations. Senior police official Muniraj G told BBC Hindi that the police did not open fire on the crowd during the violence.

The Sambhal police have filed charges against more than 2,700 people – including the local member of parliament Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, who is from the regional opposition Samajwadi Party. They accuse him of provoking the protesters.

Barq strongly denied any involvement and said he was in Bengaluru to attend a meeting at the time of the violence. As evidence, he showed the BBC Hindi team his flight tickets.

Opposition parties in the state have criticised the state’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for trying to polarise people along religious lines.

A politician from India’s main opposition Congress party, Tauqeer Ahmed, said people were so afraid that they were unwilling to even speak out about how the four men had died.

Akhilesh Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and leader of Barq’s party, accused the state officials of “orchestrating the riot” – a charge they deny.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Yadav also questioned the urgency of conducting the survey at the mosque.

The controversy surrounding the Shahi Jama Masjid is the latest in a series of disputes involving mosques across India, where Hindu groups have claimed that Muslim rulers destroyed temples to build over them.

Tensions in the city first flared on 19 November, when a local court ordered a survey of the mosque site after a petition claimed that the 16th-century mosque had been built on the ruins of a Hindu temple. Hours after the court order, authorities in Uttar Pradesh began the survey.

Sunday’s survey, which took place five days after the first one, turned violent when a large group of protesters gathered near the mosque and began shouting slogans at the survey team.

The number of single women and female couples undergoing IVF or artificial insemination in the UK has risen over the past decade, a report from the fertility regulator shows.

The number of single women having treatment, including in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), has increased from 1,400 in 2012 to 4,800 in 2022, while the number of female couples treated has doubled to 3,300 over the same period.

Heterosexual couples still account for nearly 90% of all IVF treatments.

A fertility charity said many female couples and single women still faced enormous financial hurdles to prove their infertility before being able to access NHS-funded IVF.

Growing numbers of different family groups are seeking fertility treatment.

Heterosexual couples had 47,000 IVF or donor insemination (DI) treatments in 2022, up from 45,300 in 2012.

But one in six of all private and NHS fertility treatments in the UK is now accessed by single women and female same-sex couples, according to The Human and Fertilisation Embryology Authority (HFEA) report.

Laura-Rose Thorogood and her female partner have spent £50-60,000 on having their four children, over the past 13 years.

“It’s been a tumultuous journey – we knew we had to pay for it ourselves and we’ve had to sacrifice lots of things to do it,” she says.

Laura-Rose says they feel very lucky to have more than one child and know many other LGBT couples who had to stop trying for children because of the cost.

She set up LGBT Mummies, an organisation which gives advice to people on becoming parents and campaigns for equal access to fertility treatment.

“The whole system needs to be reviewed,” she adds.

Many heterosexual couples also describe the challenges of multiple rounds of IVF and the rollercoaster of emotions going through years of treatment.

NHS funding for fertility treatment continues to fall.

It now pays for just 27% of IVF cycles, down from 40% in 2012.

Among 18-39 year olds having their first treatment, heterosexual couples receive 52% of NHS-funded cycles, with female couples accounting for 16% and single women 18% – both a slight rise.

The HFEA report says IVF is “one of the most invasive and expensive treatments per cycle”.

But more female couples and single women are choosing it, for several reasons, including the:

• higher birth rates per cycle
• reduced risk of a twin pregnancy
• possibility of storing embryos for future treatments

Reciprocal IVF, where one partner provides the eggs (to be fertilised by donor sperm) and the other carries the baby, is also becoming more popular.

Overall, one in four IVF treatments resulted in a birth, the report found.

IVF birth rates are higher among single women and female couples, who are less likely than heterosexual couples to be having the treatment because of infertility problems – and who may also be waiting for other treatment.

The chances of qualifying for NHS funding depends on where the patients live.

In England, NHS funding depends on criteria set by local integrated-care boards, which vary widely – whereas in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is a national policy.

In Scotland, 78% of IVF cycles are NHS funded, compared with 53% in Wales and 45% in England.

But, currently, Scotland does not fund fertility treatment for single women.

The previous government said it would remove barriers to treatment for female couples in England, who, in most areas, have to pay for at least six cycles of artificial insemination before being accepted for NHS-funded IVF.

But the charity Fertility Network UK said: “This has not yet happened, leaving female same-sex couples and single women who want to become parents having to pay, if they are able to, for their own medical treatment.”

Stonewall, which advocates for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, said urgent change was needed so everyone who wanted children had the same access to services

The HFEA said it encouraged healthcare providers “to make sure the information they provide represents the diversity of families and patients accessing treatment”.

An official from the Department of Health and Social Care in England said: “There are clear clinical guidelines making sure there is equal access across the country and we fully expect these to be followed.”

Police in Laos have detained eight members of staff at a backpacker hostel following the deaths of six tourists from suspected methanol poisoning last week.

According to local media, those detained include workers and management from the Nana Backpacker Hostel in the town of Vang Vieng, where several of the tourists who later died had stayed.

It is unclear how many other people were taken ill and an investigation into the deaths is continuing.

The owners of the hostel, which is now closed, have previously denied serving illicit alcohol.

It is not the first time that police have detained staff from the hostel. The manager was among a number of people who were questioned by police last week.

He earlier told the Associated Press news agency that 19-year-old Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were the only people staying at the hostel to have become unwell after drinking free shots before heading out for the night.

The pair died days later – after being admitted to hospital in neighbouring Thailand. Theirs were the first deaths suspected to be caused by methanol – a toxic, flavourless and colourless substance commonly added to bootleg alcohol.

Two Danish women and a 57-year-old American man, who were also staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, died at around the same time.

The two young Danes – Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21 – were found unconscious in their hostel bedroom on 13 November.

That was the same day that the Australian women were taken to hospital after going out to a bar in the city the night before, local media reported.

They were sent to a hospital in the capital Vientiane, but died in the middle of the night. The medical team said the cause of death was sudden heart failure.

Also on 13 November, hostel staff noticed that the American tourist – named as James Louis Hutson – had not come out of his room.

When they went to check on him, he was found lying dead on the bed, with several empty drinks glasses nearby. There were no bruises or wounds on his body, local media reported.

Simone White, a 28-year-old London lawyer, also died after she was believed to have ingested methanol while staying in Vang Vieng.

• What is methanol and how does it affect the body?

The tourists’ deaths have cast a spotlight on the popular backpacking town and spooked tourists, especially women, as five of the six who died were female travellers.

Governments including New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, have warned their citizens about drinking spirits in Laos.

Some travellers in Vang Vieng are steering clear of the once-popular free shots and alcohol buckets offered to tourists, telling the BBC that they felt concerned about their safety.

Methanol poisoning is the most prevalent in Asia, mostly affecting poorer communities and places with weak food regulations and enforcement.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Tuesday that another Australian, a dual national, may also have become ill from methanol poisoning.

A New Zealander who had fallen ill from suspected methanol poisoning in the country has now returned home, authorities have confirmed.

Supporters of jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan have been pushed back by security forces after reaching the heart of the heavily-barricaded capital earlier on Tuesday.

The convoy of opposition protesters has been marching towards Islamabad’s D Chowk – or Democracy Square – since the weekend, demanding Khan’s release, among other things.

At least six people were killed – four paramilitary soldiers, and two protesters – as the march moved through the city, clashing with security forces at points.

A number of protesters did make it as far as D Chowk however, and were seen scrambling over shipping containers placed to block their way.

But hours after protesters reached the square, security forces successfully cleared the area. As darkness fell, the lights were switched off – only police officers and paramilitary soldiers left behind.

A police officer nearby said that some protesters had made it beyond the three-tier stack of shipping containers, but only a few hundred metres before they were pushed back.

However, thousands of Khan supporters remain in the area – to keep warm in the biting cold, protesters have started burning paper and other materials inside rubbish bins. Many have even resorted to burning grass and bushes on the footpaths and greenbelts, where people are gathered.

Muhammad Shahid, who came with his family all the way from Punjab province, says they’re here because of Imran Khan’s message: “He says we must fight for our rights.”

He adds: “We’re here to stand up for our fundamental rights. Imran Khan has been illegally arrested, and we will fight to make our voices heard.”

Khan, who has been in prison for more than a year on charges he says are politically motivated, has urged his supporters not to give up – encouraging people to continue towards D Chowk.

“My message to my team is to fight till the end, we will not back down,” the former prime minister said on X.

Even from behind bars, the former cricket star has proved a powerful player in Pakistan politics. During elections in February, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which had been banned from standing and was forced to run candidates as independents, emerged as the single largest bloc.

However, they fell short of the majority and their rivals united to form a new government.

As a result, protesters are also calling for the overturning of election results they say were rigged – a claim disputed by the government.

It was Khan who called on his supporters to take to the streets at the weekend, issuing a “final call” and asking them to stay in the capital until their demands are met.

The government – which had already introduced a ban on public gatherings -responded by blocking Islamabad’s streets with shipping containers, and bussing in police from across the country.

Restrictions also appear to have been brought in on some internet services, while schools and colleges have been shut because of fears of violence.

Pakistan’s interior minister said the protesters had been offered an alternative venue for their protest but had refused.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who blamed the protesters for the deaths of four soldiers on Tuesday, dismissed the march as “extremism”.

“These disruptive elements do not seek revolution but bloodshed,” he said in a statement.

Zulfikar Bukhari, spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party, told news agency Reuters at least two protesters had been killed – one shot, and one run over by a vehicle.

At least 50 people have been injured.

The world’s oldest living man has died at the age of 112, his family have confirmed.

John Alfred Tinniswood died on Monday at the Southport care home where he lived.

The lifelong Liverpool football fan became the world’s oldest living man in April this year, when Juan Vicente Pérez Mora died at the age of 114.

His family said Mr Tinniswood’s final day was “surrounded by music and love”.

Mr Tinniswood, who was born on 26 August 1912, the same year the Titanic sank, became the UK’s oldest man in 2020.

He was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s oldest man in April 2024.

Born to Ada and John Bernard Tinniswood, Mr Tinniswood, a widower, leaves behind a daughter, Susan, grandchildren Annouchka, Marisa, Toby and Rupert, and great-grandchildren Tabitha, Callum and Nieve.

In a statement, his family said he “had many fine qualities”.

“He was intelligent, decisive, brave, calm in any crisis, talented at maths, and a great conversationalist.”

They added, these qualities served him well during his military service in the Royal Army Pays Corps during World War Two, where – in addition to accounts and auditing – his work involved logistical tasks, such as locating stranded soldiers and organising food supplies.

He met his wife, Blodwen, at a dance in Liverpool, and they married in 1942.

Susan was born in 1943, and the couple enjoyed 44 years together before Mrs Tinniswood died in 1986.

After World War Two, he worked for Royal Mail and, later, as an accountant for Shell and BP, before retiring in 1972.

His family said he had an ” active retirement”, volunteering as a church elder in Blundellsands United Reform Church where he also gave sermons.

Mr Tinniswood previously told the BBC he been “quite active as a youngster” and did “a lot of walking”, but said he had no idea why he was blessed with such longevity. He insisted he was “no different” to anyone else, adding: “You either live long or you live short – and you can’t do much about it.”

His beloved Liverpool Football Club was founded just 20 years before he was born, and he lived through all but two of the Reds’ 66 top flight trophies – having missed the first two league titles in 1901 and 1906.

He moved to the Hollies Rest care home in Southport just before his 100th birthday, where his kindness and enthusiasm for life were an inspiration to the care home staff and his fellow residents, his family said.

Since turning 100 in 2012, he had received an annual birthday card from the monarch – first from the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was his junior by almost 14 years, and, more recently, from King Charles III.

The family added: “We would like to thank the many people in the UK and across the world who sent well wishes to John on his recent birthdays.

“He really appreciated these birthday greetings and other messages of support.”

“John always liked to say thank you. So on his behalf , [we] thank all those who cared for him over the years, including his carers at the Hollies care home, his GPs, district nurses, occupational therapist and other NHS staff.”

The family have requested any donations in his memory be made to Age UK, or to a charity of their own choice.

The oldest living man on record was Jiroemon Kimura, from Japan, who lived to the age of 116 years and 54 days. He died in 2013.

The world’s oldest living woman, and oldest living person, is Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who is currently 116.

Russia has expelled a British diplomat after accusing him of espionage, according to reports.

The Tass news agency cited Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that the ministry had also summoned the British ambassador.

Footage shows the British ambassador’s car pulling up to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff. We will respond in due course.”

State news agencies reported the country’s FSB security service accuse the diplomat – whose photo was shown on TV bulletins – of providing false information on his documents and carrying out espionage and sabotage activities.

It added that the diplomat was a replacement for one of six UK diplomats expelled in August, also on espionage charges.

It comes amid worsening relations between the UK and Russia since the latter’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Last week it emerged the UK lifted restrictions on Ukraine using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles on targets inside Russia for the first time.

President Vladimir Putin cited the move, alongside the launching of US-supplied longer-range missiles at Russian territory, as behind Russia’s decision to launch a new hypersonic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday.

Expulsions of diplomats have become increasingly common since the war began.

Earlier this year, British diplomat Capt Adrian Coghill was given a week to leave Russia, days after the Russian defence attaché was expelled from London for alleged espionage as an “undeclared military intelligence officer”.

If things work out as Namibia’s long-time governing party hopes, the country will be electing its first female head of state this week.

But a mood of disillusionment with liberation movements in southern Africa, coupled with the anti-incumbency feeling in many parts of the world, may pose a threat to what would be an historic achievement.

Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, is the flag-bearer for Swapo, which has led the country since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan is currently Africa’s only female president, so Nandi-Ndaitwah would be joining an exclusive club if she is victorious.

Her party, totally dominant for three decades, saw a large drop in its support in the last general election. It goes into Wednesday’s vote amid an unemployment rate of 19% – almost the same as it was 30 years ago – troubled government finances, questions about corruption and high levels of inequality.

Standing in Nandi-Ndaitwah’s way is her main challenger among the 14 other candidates – Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) party.

She is also up against a traditional and male-dominated political culture in the country.

But she is a trusted leader of this sparsely populated and peaceful country having served in high government office for a quarter of a century.

“I have always believed in teamwork, that is what made me achieve what I have achieved,” she has said.

Known for her hands-on and pragmatic style of leadership, the vice-president is also fiercely loyal to the party, which she joined as a teenager.

At 14 she became part of the movement resisting rule from South Africa, which had governed the country – then known as South West Africa – since the end of World War One and later introduced the racist system of apartheid.

She was recognised for her tenacity and organisational talent as leader of Swapo’s Youth League, which became a stepping stone to her political career, which has included ministerial roles in foreign affairs, tourism, child welfare and information.

She has garnered a wealth of knowledge and experience that could stand her in good stead should she get into the driving seat.

“She seems so wise and sweet and kind, even in the way she tries to say everything in such a way that even like me will understand,” Laimi, a potential voter, told the BBC in the capital, Windhoek.

Her friend Maria said: “Itula is like a new piece of jewellery with his glasses, his smart suit and his confident walk, but maybe he blinds you with his shine.”

Both are young adults who have been unable to find jobs.

A trained dentist, Itula, 67, was himself once a Swapo stalwart but was expelled from the party in 2020 after running as an independent candidate against then-President Hage Geingob in the 2019 poll.

He had also been a youth leader and spent some time in prison before going into exile in the UK in the early 1980s. He returned to Namibia in 2013.

Six years later, he charismatically came crashing into the front row of Namibian politics, challenging Geingob in the presidential election after saying the Swapo process for choosing its candidate was flawed.

Itula’s intervention in that election led to Swapo getting its lowest ever share – 56% – in the presidential election and also losing its two-thirds majority in parliament.

As someone who had a professional life outside politics, he has an appeal to the 50% of the 1.5 million voters who are under the age of 35, many of whom want economic change, a job or a measurable boost to their incomes.

His bold and at times brash style, rejecting the more staid political rhetoric of Nandi-Ndaitwah, has seen him win support among business people and the growing urban intelligentsia.

But while Itula is quick off the mark and eloquent, the vice-president chooses her words wisely, and speaks slowly and deliberately.

Nandi-Ndaitwah seeks harmony and teamwork, emphasising community, passion and care, and as such, reaches right down to the grass roots.

And as the first woman with a chance of becoming the country’s president, she carries the hope of some women who want a change from the patriarchal society.

However, Nandi-Ndaitwah represents the “tried and trusted” old school of Namibia’s liberation struggle, while Itula represents the possible “wind of change” in a political landscape needing a facelift.

According to political analyst Henning Melber, the close rivalry between the two leading candidates could mean that the presidential election will go into an unprecedented second round run-off, which is required if no-one gets more than half of the votes cast.

In neighbouring South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC), in power since 1994, was forced into a coalition following May’s general election. While in Botswana – just to the east – the Botswana Democratic Party, dominant for nearly six decades, crashed to a humiliating defeat at the end of last month.

Swapo wants to avoid the same fate.

The winner on Wednesday will be the candidate who can be most trusted on issues such as youth unemployment, corruption, health care, education and infrastructure improvement, while also being able to bolster the economy.

This will need to happen without having to sell off the country’s vast natural resources to foreign bidders – such as off-shore gas as well as lithium and other essential metals.

Itula’s IPC was not part of the elections in 2019, but has performed strongly in local elections since then and has the appearance of a credible political alternative. It has won praise for the way it has run some local governments.

Nandi-Ndaitwah’s biggest asset may be that she is, as Namibian diplomat Tuliameni Kalomoh once stated, seen as “incorruptible, both morally and materially”.

• Namibia turns the visa tables on Western nations
• Why voters fall out of love with liberation movements
• Namibia blocks ship over Israel war-crime concerns
• A quick guide to Namibia

The husband of Harshita Brella was arrested by police in September after she made a report of domestic abuse, a police watchdog has confirmed.

An international manhunt has been launched for Pankaj Lamba after Ms Brella’s body was found in the boot of a car in Ilford, east London, on 14 November.

Police believe Ms Brella, 24, was fatally strangled in Corby, Northamptonshire, on 10 November and have named Mr Lamba, 23, as the prime suspect in the investigation.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was investigating Northamptonshire Police after Ms Brella made a report of domestic abuse in August.

Mr Lamba was arrested on 3 September and released with bail conditions and a domestic violence protection notice, the IOPC added.

IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said its investigation followed a self-referral from the police force.

“We will be examining the police response to Ms Brella’s report of domestic abuse made at the end of August this year,” he said.

“We will look into further contact Northamptonshire Police had with Ms Brella concerning the case.”

Mr Campbell said the investigation would consider the actions and decisions taken by Northamptonshire Police in relation to its dealings with Ms Brella.

He added: “We will be contacting Ms Brella’s family to explain our role and express our sincere condolences.”

Detectives investigating the killing released a CCTV image of Ms Brella and Mr Lamba on Friday.

A photo showed the pair walking together near the Corby’s boating lake on Sunday, 10 November.

Police appealed for anyone who was in the Cottingham Road area that evening to contact them.

MrBeast has claimed he has footage showing that allegations his upcoming reality game show “shamelessly exploited” contestants were “blown out of proportion”.

The YouTuber, real name Jimmy Donaldson, released a teaser for Beast Games on Monday and announced it would be released next month.

In September, Amazon and MrBeast were named in a US lawsuit which made a number of claims about how participants were treated on set.

The Amazon series promised to be the biggest live game show in the world with 1,000 people competing in a series of elimination challenges for a $5m (£3.5m) cash prize.

While he hasn’t formally commented on the allegations, MrBeast did reply to a user on X who asked about the allegations on Monday.

“We have tons of behind the scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were,” he said.

“Just can’t release it now because it would spoil the games.”

Five anonymous contestants brought claims on behalf of everyone who took part in the series.

They allege they weren’t paid, were subjected to unsafe conditions and experienced sexual harassment.

In the 54-page legal document, the production was accused of a “culture of misogyny”, controlling the “underfed and overtired” cast and failing to provide a safe working environment.

The contestants are suing the companies involved in the show, including Amazon and MrB2024, which lawyers say is “believed to be owned in whole or part, directly or indirectly” by MrBeast.

BBC Newsbeat has contacted MrBeast and Amazon about the ongoing legal proceedings.

Also named in the papers is a production company, Off One’s Base LLP, which BBC Newsbeat has been unable to contact.

Representatives for the contestants have also been contacted for comment.

MrBeast is the biggest YouTuber in the world with more than 300m subscribers, known for elaborate challenges as well as his philanthropy.

Releasing a teaser trailer for the series on Monday, the 26-year-old said he’d “poured everything I have into this show”.

He also said on X that his YouTube channel had “def[initely] suffered a bit” due to the amount of time he’s spent on Beast Games.

As well as hosting the challenges, MrBeast is also an executive producer on the series which Amazon says will resemble his YouTube videos, “fueled by time-sensitive emotional decisions, pyrotechnics, and of course, big-rewards”.

In the trailer, the 1,000 contestants are seen lined up in individual boxes, jumping from a helicopter and on board a pirate ship.

“This show is going to blow your mind, I am so excited,” MrBeast said in an Instagram story.

The legal action was another challenge for MrBeast in a year that saw other allegations made against one of his former channel co-hosts, Ava Kris Tyson.

She stopped working with MrBeast in July after other YouTubers accused her of sending inappropriate messages to a minor, reportedly then 13, when she was 20.

At the time, Tyson apologised for her “past actions”, but said her behaviour never “extended beyond bad edgy jokes” and denied ever grooming anyone.

Earlier this month lawyers hired by MrBeast concluded that allegations of grooming were “without basis”.

However the investigation did identify some “isolated instances of workplace harassment and misconduct” but that MrBeast’s company took “swift and appropriate actions” when made aware.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.

A 13-year-old has become the youngest player to get a deal in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s richest cricket tournament.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi from the eastern state of Bihar was bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for 11m rupees ($130,500; £103,789) in the recently-concluded auctions in Saudi Arabia.

The left-handed batter has represented his state in national championships, such as Ranji and Mushtaq Ali trophies, and India in the Under-19 internationals.

Delhi Capitals and RR bid for him starting from 3m rupees but RR, where he had trained previously, managed to seal the deal.

Indian cricket was traditionally dominated by urban centres such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru but IPL has managed to attract a wider pool of cricketers from far-off villages and small towns of India.

Suryavanshi, who is in Dubai to play India Under-19 Asia Cup, made his Ranji debut at the age of 12 in January with Bihar against Mumbai.

In his five Ranji matches, he has scored a highest of 41. But the highlight of his career has been his 58-ball century as an opener in an Under-19 unofficial Test against Australia a few weeks ago – which also made him the youngest to score a century in youth cricket.

He has also made an unbeaten 332 in an Under-19 tournament in Bihar.

RR saw raw potential in the youngster as he impressed their coaching staff during a training session.

“He’s an incredible talent and, of course, you got to have the confidence so he can step up to the IPL level,” the team’s CEO Jake Lush McCrum told ESPN Cricinfo after the auction ended.

He said that Suryavanshi’s development would require work, but “he is a hell of a talent and we’re really excited to have him as part of the franchise”.

Though Indian laws ban child labour below 14, experts say no such guidelines exist for sports, where players below 14 regularly compete in national and international events.

But to play an international match organised by International Cricket Council (ICC), Suryavanshi may have to wait until he is 15 since that’s the minimum age limit set by cricket’s governing body.

The news of Suryavanshi’s auction and the size of his contract has brought a lot of joy to his family who had to sell their land to finance his cricketing dreams.

His father Sanjiv Suryavanshi told PTI news agency that “he is not just my son now but is Bihar’s son”.

Mr Suryavanshi, a farmer from Bihar who had migrated to Mumbai for employment, worked as a bouncer in a nightclub and at a public toilet, he told Indian Express newspaper.

His biggest concern now is to ensure that his son remains grounded. “I will talk to him and make sure that this IPL auction doesn’t go to his head. He still has a long way to go,” he said.

Amid severe food shortages in Gaza, increasingly violent thefts by criminal gangs are now the main obstacle to distributing supplies in the south, aid workers and locals say.

They allege that armed men operate within plain sight of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a restricted zone by the border.

The BBC has learnt that Hamas – sensing an opportunity to regain its faltering control – has reactivated a special security force to combat theft and banditry.

After gangsters robbed nearly 100 UN lorries, injuring many of the Palestinian drivers, on 16 November – one of the worst single losses of aid during the war – a number of alleged looters were then killed in an ambush.

A notorious Gazan criminal family then blocked the main Salah al-Din Road leading from Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing point for two days last week.

Witnesses said iron barriers were erected and lorries trying to access the aid distribution point were fired at.

“Law and order have broken down in the area around the Kerem Shalom crossing, which remains the main entry point of goods, and gangs are filling the power vacuum,” says Sam Rose, deputy director of Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, in Gaza.

“It’s inevitable after 13 months of intense conflict – things fall apart.”

As the rainy winter weather begins, humanitarian officials say solving the worsening situation is critical to meet the huge, deepening needs of most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population – now displaced to the centre and south.

“It is tactical, systematic, criminal looting,” says Georgios Petropoulos, head of the UN’s humanitarian office, Ocha, in Gaza.

He says this is leading to “ultra-violence” in all directions – “from the looters towards the truckers, from the IDF towards the police, and from the police towards the looters”.

There has been increased lawlessness in Gaza since Israel began targeting police officers early this year, citing their role in Hamas governance.

“Hamas’s security control dropped to under 20%,” the former head of Hamas police investigations told the BBC, adding: “We are working on a plan to restore control to 60% within a month.”

Some displaced Gazans in the south welcome the new Hamas efforts against criminal gangs.

“Killing the thieves who stole aid is a step in the right direction,” exclaims one man, Mohammed Abu Jared.

However, others see them as a cynical attempt to take control of lucrative black markets.

“Hamas is killing its competitors in stealing aid,” says Mohammed Diab, an activist in Deir al-Balah. “A big mafia has finished off a small mafia.”

Many see Hamas’s attempts to take a lead against the criminality as the direct consequence of Israels’ failure to agree on a post-war plan in Gaza.

There are currently no alternatives to replace the Islamist movement and armed group which Israeli leaders pledged to destroy after last year’s deadly 7 October attacks.

The chaos comes at a time when aid entering the Palestinian territory has dropped to some of the lowest levels since the start of the war.

While the threat of famine is greatest in besieged parts of the north where Israel is conducting a new, intense military offensive, in the south there are also major shortages of food, medicines and other goods.

“Prices of basic commodities are sky-rocketing – a bag of flour costs more than $200 (£160), a single egg $15 – or else goods are simply not available,” Sam Rose of Unrwa says.

Every day in the past week, Umm Ahmed has stood with her children in a huge queue outside a bakery in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where ultimately some loaves are given out.

“My children are very hungry every day. We can’t afford the basics. It’s constant suffering. No food, no water, no cleaning products, nothing,” she says.

“We don’t want much, just to live a decent life. We need food. We need goods to come in and be distributed fairly. That’s all we’re asking for.”

The US has been pressing for Israel to allow more aid lorries into Gaza.

However, Israeli officials say that the main reason that their goal of 350 a day has not been reached is the inability of the UN and other international aid agencies to bring enough lorries to the crossings.

Aid workers reject that. They are urgently calling for many entry restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities to be lifted, and for more crossing points to be opened and secured so they can collect and distribute supplies.

They say the breakdown in public order needs to be addressed and that Israel, as an occupying power, is obliged to provide protection and security.

The BBC was told that thefts often happen in clear sight of Israeli soldiers or surveillance drones – but that the army fails to intervene.

Stolen goods are apparently being stored outside or in warehouses in areas under Israeli military control.

The IDF did not respond to BBC requests for comment on how it combats organised looting and smuggling. It has previously insisted that it takes countermeasures and works to facilitate the entry of aid.

Early in the war, as food became increasingly scarce, desperate Gazans were sometimes seen stealing from incoming aid lorries.

Soon, cigarette smuggling became a huge business with gangs holding up convoys at gunpoint after they arrived from Egypt’s Rafah crossing and, after this shut in May, Kerem Shalom.

A cigarette packet can sell for exorbitant amounts in Gaza: while a packet of 20 cost about 20 shekels ($5.40) before the war, now a single cigarette can cost 180 shekels ($48.60).

Cigarettes are being found within the frames of wooden aid pallets and inside closed food cans, indicating that there is a regional racket involved in smuggling.

For the past six weeks, the Israeli authorities have banned commercial imports, arguing that these benefit Hamas.

This has added to the decrease in the supply of food, which is in turn driving the rise in armed looting.

Stolen goods, from flour to winter shelters, sent as international donations and meant to be given as free handouts to needy people can only be bought at extortionate prices on Gaza’s black market.

Meanwhile, months’ worth of donated supplies are being held back in Egypt due to hold-ups in aid delivery.

In recent days, local media reports are suggesting that Israel is now studying the option of delivering aid to Gaza by means of a private, armed American security contractor.

While nothing has yet been officially announced, aid workers are worried.

Georgios Petropoulos of Ocha questions which donor countries would want supplies distributed this way.

“How safe is it really going to be?” he asks: “I think it will be a vector for more bloodshed and violence.”

With special counsel Jack Smith’s move on Wednesday to drop the 2020 election interference prosecution against Donald Trump, one of the last remaining legal threats against the president-elect has turned to ash and blown away in the wind.

Smith is also abandoning an appeal of a federal judge’s dismissal of his case against Trump for mishandling sensitive national security documents after leaving the White House in 2021.

Those were two of the biggest, most imposing judicial proceedings against Trump, which had been hanging over his head for more than a year as he began his slow, steady march back to the White House.

His victory in November, and the prospect that he would unceremoniously end what he called a “political hijacking” of the legal system upon taking office in January, removed much of the drama from Smith’s Monday announcement.

It was not a legal or political earthquake so much as a reflection of the new balance of power in the nation’s capital.

• Judge dismisses special counsel’s election case against Trump
• Who else is in Trump’s top team?
• Just how big was Trump’s victory?

Department of Justice guidance prohibits the criminal prosecution of a sitting president. In his filing, Smith said that the DoJ recently concluded that this legal protection also applies to the prosecution of a private citizen who is subsequently elected president.

“That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the government stands fully behind,” he writes.

Such insistences on the strength and validity of the case will be cold comfort for those who had been clamouring for Trump to be held accountable for the violence surrounding the 6 January, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by the president-elect’s supporters.

The Biden administration and Attorney General Merrick Garland have been sharply criticised by some on the left, and among Trump opponents on the right, for moving too slowly in bringing cases against the then-former president after he left office – setting up the kind of resolution that played out on Monday.

Federal investigators focused their early efforts on prosecuting individuals who were directly involved in the Capitol attack, while a special committee of the US House of Representatives, then under control of Democrats, held hearings and gathered testimony against Trump.

It wasn’t until Trump launched his third White House bid in November 2022 that Garland appointed Smith to handle an independent investigation – ultimately resulting in 37 counts of document-handling and obstruction of justice against the president in June 2023 and four election interference charges two months later.

Trump’s legal team vigorously contested those prosecutions, filing a flurry of legal challenges to the validity of the claims and delaying any attempt to bring the cases to trial. It wasn’t long before some of those efforts paid off.

And with every success, even temporary ones, the calendar ticked ever closer to the November 2024 presidential election, when a victory by the former president could bring those prosecutions to a grinding halt.

In June, the US Supreme Court held that current and former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for their official actions, casting doubt on the election-interference case.

Then, in July, the judge overseeing the documents case dismissed those charges, ruling that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was invalid because it was not approved by Congress – a requirement that had not been applied to previous investigations.

Smith pressed on, retooling his election-interference indictment and appealing against the document-case dismissal. But the timeline for any trials had disappeared over the horizon.

And with Trump’s election victory – and the near certainty that his administration would drop the cases once they took power – the final resolution was all but inevitable.

Smith’s decision to abandon the prosecutions amounted to little more than an early mercy killing – one that was quickly celebrated by the Trump team.

“Today’s decision by the DoJ ends the unconstitutional federal cases against President Trump and is a major victory for the rule of law,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung wrote in a statement.

“The American people and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponisation of our justice system, and we look forward to uniting our country.”

There is still the possibility that Trump will be sentenced in his New York criminal conviction for hush-money payments earlier this year, but his lawyers are pressing for that case to be thrown out.

The sprawling multi-party indictments for election interference in Georgia is not affected by Smith’s decision, but it currently exists in legal limbo amidst efforts to remove Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis from the case. Neither at the moment appears to present a serious legal threat to the incoming president.

Smith has promised to continue his appeal of prosecutions of Trump’s associates in the documents case, but Trump could end that upon taking office in January with the flick of his pardoning pen.

After years of living in legal jeopardy, Trump’s election victory appears to have all but wiped away those concerns, leaving four years to focus on governing and implementing his agenda. It is perhaps the most immediate and tangible consequence of his return to the apex of political power.

More than a year of work by dozens of government lawyers, including hundreds of interviews and subpoenas and millions of dollars spent, has ended not with the bang of a gavel, but with the click of an electronic court filing.

North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher makes sense of the presidential election in his twice weekly US Election Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

As cities across North America grapple with homelessness, one Canadian city has taken a different approach by regulating tent encampments instead of banning them, as it tries to tackle what one official calls the issue “of the decade”.

Andrew Goodsell has called his small orange tent on a grassy patch in downtown Halifax home for almost a year.

In late October, on a park bench outside his makeshift dwelling, the 38-year-old described life at the homeless encampment where he lives with about a dozen or so others as “depressing”.

“I wake up in an area I don’t want to be,” Mr Goodsell said, as a stream of cars drove by.

“I’d much rather wake up in a spot where I could take a shower and maybe make myself something to eat. But I’ll still get myself out of bed.”

Mr Goodsell has been without a home on-and-off for a decade.

He once got by with couch surfing or working minimum-wage jobs to pay rent, but with Halifax’s skyrocketing housing costs, he can no longer afford a place to live.

His encampment is one of nine sites chosen by the city as a place where people without housing can lawfully camp outside. The sites were approved this summer as a temporary, but some argue necessary, solution while indoor shelters are at-capacity.

The policy has been adopted by at least one other municipality in Canada and is being considered by others who too are facing a rise in homelessness.

It’s in stark contrast to other North American cities where police officers forcibly remove homeless encampments. These so-called “street sweeps” have been criticised as violent and ineffective in addressing the housing crisis.

But they have become increasingly popular as homelessness has grown since the pandemic. California has cleared more than 12,000 encampments since 2021, while cities like Fresno, California and Grants Pass, Oregon have passed complete bans on camping in public spaces.

Proponents of banning encampments say that the campsites lead to disorder, and that funding should go to getting people off the streets.

Among detractors of Halifax’s approach are some encampment residents themselves, who say they want resources spent on affordable housing instead.

“Canada is one of the richest, most beautiful countries around,” Mr Goodsell said. “We have so much land, so much resource, but we must be one of the greediest countries out there.”

Although several Canadian cities, including Halifax, have tried to remove homeless encampments in the past, recent court decisions in British Columbia and Ontario have ruled that people without homes can camp outside if there are no appropriate indoor shelters available.

In contrast, the US Supreme Court ruled in June that cities can fine and arrest homeless people, even if there is no shelter for them to go to, paving the way for the outright bans on encampments in California and Oregon.

Another difference is the growing recognition in Canada that previous approaches have failed, says Stepan Wood, a law professor at the University of British Columbia, who has studied the issue.

“The approach up until a couple years ago had been to clear them out, but it’s now no longer deniable that that doesn’t solve the problem,” he told the BBC.

Canada’s national database estimates that there are 235,000 homeless people across the country in a given year, though experts argue that number is higher.

This figure puts the rate of homelessness in Canada above that of the US and England, according to a comparison of official data. Globally, many cities have seen a rise in homelessness since the pandemic.

In 2018, Halifax – the largest city on Canada’s Atlantic Coast with a population of around 518,000 – only had 18 people sleeping rough, said Max Chauvin, the director of housing and homelessness in Halifax. Now it’s over 200.

While Halifax has approved nine designated encampment sites, only five are operating. Each has a proposed limit of up to a dozen tents, but most are over capacity.

The city provides the sites with portable toilets, while outreach workers come by weekly to drop off bottled water and check in on people, encampment residents told the BBC.

Sometimes they will bring things that residents need, like a coat, or a warmer sleeping bag for the winter.

Mr Chauvin said the designated encampments are born out of a realisation that the city has run out of options to immediately address its housing crisis.

The city is waiting for the provincial government to ramp up affordable housing construction. Nova Scotia has not built any new public housing units since 1995.

In the meantime, “the question becomes: ‘Where are people going to go?’” Mr Chauvin said.

He believes solving the housing crisis will be “the item of the decade” for his city and others.

“One of the largest groups of homelessness we see growing is simply people who don’t have enough money to pay rent, and that’s new,” he said, adding that includes seniors, students, and entire families.

Mr Chauvin also points to a lack of accessible healthcare for people with mental and physical illnesses.

Proponents of the designated sites say they prevent the criminalisation of people who are homeless and allow the city to concentrate its outreach services.

Still, Halifax’s policy is both provisional and divisive.

It was a focal point of the city’s October mayoral election, where the winner promised to end the expansion of designated encampments and to remove unlawful ones.

Trish Purdy, a city councillor, unsuccessfully fought to remove a proposed designated site in her district, after hearing from constituents who feared it would bring crime and drug use.

She acknowledged that the issue is socially and morally complex, but said she believes allowing people to live in “horrible conditions” is not “empathetic or compassionate”.

“I’m sure the residents who live by any of the encampments could tell you they didn’t receive any empathy or compassion when the encampments were placed on their doorstep,” Ms Purdy told the BBC.

One such encampment in Dartmouth, a Halifax suburb, sits adjacent to a row of public housing units, where residents complain of needle debris, violence and disputes with those living at the site.

“This used to be a fun field where the kids can come out and play baseball or kickball,” said Clarissa, a mother of three who declined to give her last name.

“Now we can’t even do that, because we’re too worried about stepping on a needle.”

Clarissa said she and her neighbours were not consulted about the encampment and believes the site was chosen because their neighbourhood is low-income.

But Ames Mathers, who lives near another encampment, called its residents her neighbours.

“It’s really messed up that people are having to live in parks at all as an only option for housing,” she said.

“We’re in the middle of a housing crisis, and our province and city are dropping the ball.”

Some encampment residents told the BBC they welcomed knowing they wouldn’t be asked to leave at a moment’s notice. But many said they themselves didn’t always feel safe at the sites.

They also question the government’s willingness to find them housing, saying they have received more help from volunteers than officials. They note that multiple high-rise condominiums are under development in Halifax – none of which, they say, are affordable.

“We would like to be treated like people,” said Samantha Nickerson, who lived with her fiance, Trent Smith, at the same encampment as Mr Goodsell.

“Some of us really are trying hard to get our lives back together and work.”

Ms Nickerson and Mr Smith, who are in their 30s, said they faced violence from other residents and were often verbally harassed by members of the public.

“We understand that this is an eyesore, and nobody wants it,” Ms Nickerson said.

“We don’t want to be here. We don’t want to be in this situation.”

By mid-November, the couple had been moved to a temporary indoor shelter with the help of volunteers.

Mr Goodsell and a handful of others remain at site, which was recently de-designated over concerns it would be in the way of snow-clearing operations.

He said he has not been offered indoor shelter and does not want to be uprooted to another encampment.

He has outfitted his tent for the coming harsh Canadian winter as he waits for news.

“Outside in the winter in a tent anywhere is unsafe,” he told the BBC in a phone call.

“I’m prepped as I can be, and I consider myself luckier than most.”

“When I stepped out of my house, it felt like I was inhaling smoke,” says Imran Ahmed Ali, a lawyer in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh.

Pollution levels in Chandigarh – India’s first planned city, located about 240km (150 miles) from capital Delhi – have been at more than 15 times the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for more than a month.

It is now common for air quality in the city to dip every winter, but Mr Ali says he has never felt so sick before.

A few weeks ago, the 31-year-old began experiencing a dry cough and shortness of breath, which he initially dismissed as symptoms of a seasonal cold. But as the temperature dropped, his chest congestion worsened and he went to a doctor.

“After running several tests, the doctor told me that my symptoms were caused by pollution. I’m now taking medicine twice a day to manage my breathing,” he says.

Mr Ali is among hundreds of millions of people living in northern India who are forced to breathe toxic polluted air for extended periods every winter.

According to Swiss firm IQAir, eight of the 10 most polluted cities in the world last year were located in the Indo-Gangetic plains – a densely populated region which stretches across northern and eastern India, along with parts of Pakistan and Nepal.

A recent report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago reiterates that the northern plains – home to 540.7 million people across Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal – is the most polluted region in India. When compared with the WHO’s standards, air pollution at current levels could reduce the life expectancy of people here by 5.4 years, it adds.

But as the toxic smog closes in every winter, headlines and attention are mostly focused on Delhi.

Delhi receives significant attention due to its position as the capital of India, says Parthaa Bosu, strategic adviser at the Environmental Defense Fund, a non-profit group focused on delivering climate solutions.

Every year, the Delhi government implements an annual action plan, which includes measures such as driving restrictions and a ban on construction activities during peak pollution periods.

Even though there is criticism that this isn’t enough, most other places in northern India have not seen such proactive steps.

Mr Bosu says that often, people don’t associate other parts of northern India – particularly villages and small towns and cities – with high pollution.

“In [people’s] minds, villages are clean, green and pristine – but that’s far from the reality,” he says.

• Living in Delhi smog is like watching a dystopian film again and again

Pollution in the region is not caused by a single factor, but a combination of elements – such as construction activities, vehicular emissions, industrial pollutants and the seasonal burning of crop residue.

While many of these factors are present throughout the year, the difference in the winter months – from October to January – is the weather conditions.

The air quality worsens each winter because cold stagnant air traps pollutants near the ground, making it harder for them to disperse, says Mahesh Palawat, vice president of meteorology and climate change at weather forecasting company Skymet.

The landlocked geography of the Indo-Gangetic Plain worsens the situation. The region is surrounded by mountains and lacks strong winds, which normally help blow polluted air away.

Doctors and health experts warn of the risks of breathing in these pollutants.

“Patients complain of a burning sensation in their eyes and throat when they step outside. Some face difficulty in breathing,” says Dr Rajesh Gupta, director of the pulmonary department at Fortis Hospital in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh state.

Dr Gupta says that people who are otherwise healthy also develop respiratory troubles this time of the year, and that children and the elderly are especially vulnerable.

The bleak conditions also exact a mental toll. Aditi Garg, who works in Meerut town – about 100km from Delhi – used to cherish the quiet moments on her balcony each morning.

That routine has been disrupted completely.

Since mid-October, pollution levels in Meerut have remained at levels classified as “poor” or “severe”, making it difficult to breathe.

Ms Garg now spends nearly all her time indoors, next to her air purifier, trying to shield herself from the toxic air outside.

“I don’t have an option but to stay inside, this is the best I can do,” she says.

And not everyone has the privilege of staying indoors.

In Uttar Pradesh alone, more than 83 million people are registered as employees in the unorganised sector. The actual number is likely to be much higher.

This includes daily wage workers, street vendors and agricultural labourers who have no choice but to work outdoors, risking their health.

Standing outside his shanty in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur city, Mohammad Salim Siddiqui gasps for breath as he speaks.

An automobile spare parts vendor and the sole breadwinner of his family, Mr Siddiqui has to brave the pollution every day.

“Two members of my family are struggling with respiratory problems because of the pollution,” says Mr Siddiqui, adding that it’s particularly bad in crowded slums.

“We need help,” he says.

Over the years, governments in some states have made efforts to counter the pollution problem.

In 2019, India launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) with an aim to reduce particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5, tiny particles that can enter the lungs and cause diseases) levels by 20-30% by 2026 as compared to 2017 levels.

The goal was later updated to reduce PM10 levels up to 40% by 2026.

Under this programme, 131 Indian cities – including many in the Indo-Gangetic Plains – were to develop tailored plans to address local pollution sources.

While it has helped raise awareness and set goals, experts say stronger action and better coordination between local and state governments are needed to make a real difference.

Mr Bosu says that the lack of dialogue remains the biggest barrier against meaningful change.

Both Ms Garg and Mr Ali echo this, saying there is barely any conversation about the toxic air quality in their cities.

“People have unfortunately accepted this as a part of their lives,” says Mr. Ali.

“It’s a discussion they have every year when pollution is at its peak, and then conveniently forget about – until next time.”

The Erik and Lyle Menendez case has turned a nondescript Los Angeles courthouse into the hottest ticket in Tinseltown – sparking the kind of frenzy usually seen at red-carpet Hollywood premieres.

The brothers – who shot and killed their wealthy parents in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989 – could win freedom after more than 30 years in prison.

On Monday the duo appeared in court via teleconference – the first time they’ve attended a hearing in years – to find out next steps in their bid for release.

Trial-watchers began queuing outside at 05:15 local time – more than five hours before the proceedings were due to start.

A heady mix of new evidence, a popular Netflix docuseries, and a dash of politics have turbocharged public interest in the case.

Several members of the Menendez family testified during Monday’s hearing, arguing for the brothers’ release.

But the judge overseeing the case postponed a hearing on whether they should be resentenced until January, after the county’s newly elected district attorney is sworn in and has time to review the case.

MORE: Menendez brothers’ resentencing hearing delayed until January

Only 16 seats were available on Monday for the several dozen members of the public who waited outside.

Officials handed out red raffle tickets and hosted a lottery on the steps of the courthouse to determine who those lucky individuals would be.

Peggy Savani, 60, was on holiday in nearby Venice Beach with her family from Ohio and decided she had to go. Her husband was working, and her daughter wasn’t interested in tagging along.

“I told them, ‘I’m going. I don’t care,'” she told the BBC after grabbing her red raffle ticket.

Ms Savani remembered all the hype surrounding the case when she watched the brothers’ two criminal trials in the late 1990s – one ended in a mistrial and the second with their conviction and sentence to life in prison.

She noted the new evidence into their claims of sexual abuse by their father – a key element to their defence – and how society had changed in its understanding of sexual violence against both males and females.

“I think that what happened to them is not right and so I’m really glad that this is happening,” Ms Savani said.

“I just thought I’d come down and see what it’s all about and maybe be part of it.”

As she took a photo of her red raffle ticket, she laughed and said it was almost “like a golden ticket” – a reference to the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The crowd was filled with a mix of local residents who remembered watching the original trials, students who were studying law or criminal justice and those who simply wanted a ringside seat to one of the most notorious criminal cases in US history.

“I think this might be a once-in-a-lifetime event for us to experience,” Elena Gordon, 43, told the BBC. “I feel like this is a historical moment for southern California.”

A lifelong resident of nearby Orange County, she said she remembered watching the case when she was young and “to see it just ripped back open is pretty incredible”.

“It’s not about gawking at the brothers,” she added. “It’s about witnessing history.”

Greta and Anna, international students from Italy and the United Kingdom who are studying at the University of California, Los Angeles, said they both watched the Netflix drama series about the case, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Anna, who is from Notting Hill, west London. “It will be interesting to see what happens behind the scenes.”

The group of hopefuls huddled in the Van Nuys courthouse square, which was littered with autumn leaves, to find out if they won. A hush fell over the boisterous crowd – including dozens of journalists – as officials drew tickets from a manila envelope.

As numbers were read, each person peered intently at their ticket and then glanced around at the crowd to see who was called.

Bursts of excited screams cut through the silence.

Some jolted forwards while others tried to scurry past the throngs of cameras and media equipment to grab one of the lucky yellow badges – their key to enter the court.

Christian Garcia won the last ticket.

“It was very emotional,” the social media influencer said after the hearing.

“Honestly, today’s been a rollercoaster, but I had a gut feeling I was going to enter,” he added.

“I told my followers I’m going to enter into that room and God opened the door.”

As the sun slowly dips behind the jagged peaks of Mount Nam Xay, a group of brightly coloured hot air balloons drift across the Vang Vieng valley.

In the river below, young tourists laugh and splash each other from their kayaks.

It’s not hard to see what draws so many travellers here to this little town in central Laos. The scenery is stunning, the fun cheap and plentiful.

But the town has found itself at the centre of an international scandal after six tourists died last week following suspected methanol poisoning.

It is believed their alcoholic drinks may have contained methanol, an industrial chemical often used in bootleg alcohol.

For the throngs of young western travellers on South East Asia’s backpacker trail, Vang Vieng has become famous for what is called “tubing.” One described it to me as a water borne pub crawl.

Groups of friends in swimsuits and bikinis clamber aboard huge inner tubes that would normally be used on trucks and drift downstream, pulling in from time to time at river side bars where vodka shots are liberally administered, before plunging back into the water.

By the time they reach Vang Vieng everyone is fairly merry.

“I think we’re going to give the tubing a miss” two 27-year-old women from Hertfordshire in the UK tell me (they didn’t want to give their names).

“The vodka shots are part of the package, but no one wants to drink the local vodka right now.”

The pair arrived here from Vietnam, just as news of the deaths from methanol poisoning was spreading across the world.

“In Vietnam we got free drinks, particularly when you’re playing games in the evening,” one of them tells me. “And we just never thought about it, you just presume what they are giving you is safe. We’ve drunk buckets before, but we are not going to take the risk again, and a lot of people here feel the same.”

“Buckets” are exactly what they sound like – small plastic buckets filled with cheap vodka and other liquor. Groups of friends share the mixture through long plastic straws.

“Now this has happened it really makes you think about it,” the woman’s friend says. “You wonder why are the drinks free? At the hostel associated with the deaths we heard they were giving free vodka and whisky shots for an hour each evening. I think if that happened in the UK you would definitely think it was dodgy.”

Both women said they are now sticking to drinking bottled or canned beer.

The deaths of six tourists has sent shock waves through the backpacker scene. Young female travellers feel most vulnerable. The dead include Briton Simone White, 28, two young Australians, Holly Bowles and her best friend Bianca Jones, and two young Danish women, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman and Freja Vennervald Sorensen.

Only one of the dead, a 57-year-old American, James Louis Hutson, was male. On the travellers’ chat-groups many have been questioning whether only women’s drinks had been spiked with methanol. The truth is, it’s still a mystery.

What we do know is all the victims stayed at the same place, The Nana Backpackers hostel. It’s now been confirmed the American victim was found dead in his bedroom there on 13 November. On the same morning the two Danish victims were found unconscious in their rooms and rushed to the local hospital.

Today, the Nana hostel is closed, the swimming pool that until a few days ago was hosting pool parties, is empty. A short walk away beside the river a bar called “JaiDees” has also been raided. The owners of both have forcefully denied serving any illegal or homemade alcohol.

Out on the river there is little sign that the poisonings are stopping people coming to Vang Vieng. Late November is peak tourist season. The rainy season is over, the skies are clear and the temperature is a relatively cool 28C (82F).

Along the main drag hostel owners told me they are fully booked. The young travellers from Europe and Australia are actually the minority. By far the largest groups are from neighbouring Thailand and China, the latter shuttling south on the newly finished Chinese-built Laos high-speed rail line.

Vang Vieng is still a dusty rural town. But it’s booming. Local business owners glide past in big black land cruisers and range rovers. As I walked back to my hotel on Saturday night, I was taken aback by the loud bark from the exhaust pipes of a Lamborghini cruising along Vang Vieng’s single main street.

Twenty years ago this was a sleepy little town surrounded by rice fields. Now it is being transformed by Thai and Chinese money. Fancy new hotels are springing up with riverside cocktail bars and infinity pools.

But the young western backpackers are not here for the five-star experience, they come for the friendly anything-goes atmosphere.

At a local motorbike rental I meet two fresh graduates from Sussex University.

Ned from Somerset says he has no intention of cancelling plans because of what happened. “People are scared for sure,” he says, “but I don’t get the impression anyone is leaving. Everyone is still here having a good time.”

He adds: “But everyone is also saying the same thing, don’t drink the spirits, so people are being careful, there’s definitely that feeling in the air, but I think it’s actually quite safe now because all the bars are on edge, no-one wants to go to jail”.

His friend Jack is equally unflustered. “We’ve come here to meet up with some friends and have some fun, and we’re still going to do that,” he says. “I’ve been here a week now and I can tell you the people here are absolutely lovely. They are some of the nicest people we’ve met in all of South East Asia. So whatever happened, I don’t think there’s anything malicious about it.”

Malicious or not, six people are dead, five of them young women.

The shock waves from what happened here has rippled out around the world to suburban homes from London to Melbourne, where worried parents with children on the backpacker trail are frantically messaging, checking where they are, and trying to persuade them not to go to Vang Vieng.

A pod of more than 30 pilot whales were rescued after being stranded on Ruakākā Beach near Whangārei in northern New Zealand on Sunday, officials say.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) says most were refloated and swam out to sea, but three adults and one calf died. There were no re-strandings overnight.

The rescue effort was spearheaded by the local Māori group, Patuharakeke, who were joined by authorities and other members of the public.

Whale stranding is an unexplained natural phenomenon, with New Zealand holding one of the world’s highest rates of the event.

The whales were refloated by lifting them on sheets.

Patuharakeke remained on the beach through the night to make sure none of the rescued whales were re-stranded.

DOC – which is responsible with managing stranded marine rescues – called the rescue effort “incredible, with everyone coming together for the whales”.

“It’s amazing to witness the genuine care and compassion people have shown toward these magnificent animals,” the department’s operations manager Joel Lauterbach said.

He also thanked all involved parties including Patuharakeke and Project Jonah, which delivers aid to stranded marine mammals, and the “hundreds of members of the public who have assisted so far”.

Whale and dolphin strandings are common in the country. The DOC responds to around 85 incidences a year on average, mostly consisting of single animals.

French prosecutors have demanded a 20-year jail sentence for Dominique Pelicot, who is accused of drugging his former wife Gisèle for a decade and inviting 50 men recruited online to rape her.

Mr Pelicot, who has admitted to the charges, should also undergo medical treatment for 10 years, prosecutors said.

Twenty years – the maximum sentence for rape under French law – “is both a lot… and too little given the gravity of the acts that were committed and repeated,” said prosecutor Laure Chabaud.

Referring to an assessment of Mr Pelicot made by a psychiatrist earlier in the trial, Ms Chabaud said that the defendant presented “multiple sexual deviances”.

Verdicts and sentences are expected next month.

“He sought pleasure through a desire to submit, humiliate and debase his wife – the person he claimed to cherish the most in the world,” Ms Chabaud told the court, saying that Mr Pelicot, 72, should be re-examined at the end of his sentence before being released.

Another prosecutor, Jean-François Mayet, said the trial had shaken up society and that what is at stake “was not a conviction or an acquittal” but “to fundamentally change the relations between men and women”.

Mr Mayet paid tribute to the “courage and dignity” of Gisèle Pelicot, who was in court as she has been most days since the trial began in September.

Her decision to waive anonymity and have an open trial has led to a huge amount of interest in the case, which has in turn sparked a nationwide conversation on rape culture, consent and chemical submission – drugging someone for the purposes of coercion or assault.

On Monday morning posters reading “20 years for everyone” had appeared on the walls around the Avignon courthouse where the trial is taking place.

However, it is unlikely the 50 defendants in this extraordinary case will be handed sentences this long.

The longest jail term requested by prosecutors today – excluding the 20-year demand made for Mr Pelicot – was for Jean-Pierre Marechal, a co-defendant who is not accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot, but who has admitted to drugging and raping his own ex-wife on Mr Pelicot’s advice and instruction.

He is facing 17 years in prison.

Prosecutors also demanded 10 years for most of the other 19 defendants whose cases were examined today.

The majority of the 50 accused deny the charges of rape, arguing that they cannot be guilty because they did not realise Ms Pelicot was unconscious when they were invited to the family’s home by her husband, and therefore did not “know” they were raping her.

But prosecutor Ms Chabaud said that “in 2024 we can no longer maintain that because she didn’t say anything, she consented.”

She added that neither the circumstances nor the behaviour of Gisèle Pelicot “could have led these men to believe that she agreed to be subjected to these sexual acts in her lethargic state.”

In an address to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Prime Minister Michel Barnier said this trial was a watershed moment for the country’s efforts to combat violence against women.

“I’m convinced that the Mazan trial will mark a before and after,” he said.

Mazan is the name of the village where the Pelicots lived and where Dominque Pelicot filmed the local men he had contacted online.

The prime minister also announced a series of government measures to combat violence against women, including funding for pharmacies to dispense home drug test kits under a pilot scheme to fight chemical submission.

Earlier on Monday, Equality Minister Salima Saa said the government was “fully mobilised” and announced the expansion of a system which allows victims of sexual violence to file complaints in hospitals and not just police stations.

The system is currently used in 236 hospitals and will be extended to 377 by the end of next year.

A new awareness campaign was also announced.

The trial, which opened in early September, is now in its final stretch.

Lawyers for the 50 defendants will make their closing arguments over the next three weeks, and a verdict is expected by 20 December.

Career-networking site LinkedIn has told Australian lawmakers it is too dull for kids to warrant its inclusion in a proposed ban on social media for under 16 year olds.

“LinkedIn simply does not have content interesting and appealing to minors,” the Microsoft-owned company said in a submission to an Australian senate committee.

The Australian government has said it will introduce “world-leading” legislation to stop children accessing social media platforms.

But companies behind some of the most popular platforms with young people – Meta, Google, Snapchat-owner Snap Inc and TikTok – have all challenged the planned law in submissions made to lawmakers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the proposed law is to address the harm social media was inflicting on Australian children.

He said it was for “the mums and dads” who like him were “worried sick about the safety of our kids online.”

Other countries are closely watching what happens with the legislation with some – including the UK – saying they are open to following suit.

Australia’s Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee gave respondents one day to comment on the bill, which would amend its existing Online Safety Act.

Its report to the Senate concludes the bill should pass – providing its recommendations, such as engaging young people in the legislation’s implementation, are considered.

However, in their responses, the world’s biggest tech firms have been setting out why they are unhappy with the proposed law.

Google – which owns YouTube – and Instagram-parent Meta have said they needed more time to consider the legislation.

Meta said its current form “will fail to achieve its goal of reducing the burden on parents to manage the safety of young people on social media”.

It also claimed it “ignores the evidence” presented by child safety and mental health experts – a view shared by Snapchat in its own submission.

X (formerly Twitter), meanwhile questioned the legality of the bill’s proposals.

TikTok Australia said it had “significant concerns” with the bill as proposed.

Like other platforms commenting on the legislation, it said it “hinges” on an ongoing age assurance trial looking at technologies that can effectively check user age.

Ella Woods-Joyce, director of public policy for TikTok Australia and New Zealand, wrote in the company’s submission that the bill’s “rushed passage poses a serious risk of further unintended consequences”.

But LinkedIn has adopted a different approach – arguing in its submission that is a platform which is simply not of any interest to children.

Its minimum age requirement of 16 means they cannot access it, the company said, adding it removes child accounts when found.

If LinkedIn can successfully argue it should not be included in the legislation it will potentially avoid the cost and disruption involved it introducing additional age verification processes to the site.

“Subjecting LinkedIn’s platform to regulation under the proposed legislation would create unnecessary barriers and costs for LinkedIn’s members in Australia to undertake age assurance,” it said.

The Australian government has said it wants to bring in the legislation before the end of the parliamentary year.

But experts have said the bill’s timeframe and current composition fails to provide an opportunity for adequate scrutiny.

Carly Kind, the country’s privacy commissioner, said in a LinkedIn post on Monday after appearing at a public Senate hearing that she was concerned by “the widespread privacy implications of a social media ban”.

Human rights commissioner Lorraine Findlay called the one-day window for submissions of responses to the legislation “entirely inadequate” in a LinkedIn post on Thursday.

“We need actual consultation, not just the appearance of it,” she said.

Nonetheless, the Australian government’s plans have sparked interest elsewhere.

In the UK, the technology secretary, Peter Kyle, told the BBC this month that similar legislation was “on the table.”

France has already introduced legislation requiring social media platforms to block access to children under 15 without parental consent- though research indicates almost half of users were able to circumvent the ban using a simple VPN.

A Russian court has confirmed a British man who was allegedly fighting for Ukraine has been captured in Russia’s Kursk region.

Video had been circulating online in recent days showing a man dressed in military clothing who identifies himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, and says he formerly served in the British Army.

A Russian court said it had ordered Mr Anderson be held in custody, alleging he had “participated in hostilities in the territory of the Kursk region”.

Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into the Russian region on 6 August and still holds territory there.

Mr Anderson was identified in court on Monday as being a British citizen from Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Russian investigators have accused him of committing a terrorist act and being a mercenary. That means that instead of treating him as a prisoner-of-war, he faces criminal prosecution.

The charges he is facing carry maximum sentences of 20 and 15 years in prison respectively.

The closed-door session heard he is “suspected of committing a set of particularly serious crimes that pose a particular public danger to the public”.

The court added that the decision could be appealed.

While Britons have been captured in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, Mr Anderson is the first fighter to be captured in Russian territory.

Earlier this week, Scott Anderson, Mr Anderson’s father, said he had begged his son not to go to Ukraine.

“He wanted to go out there because he thought he was doing what was right,” Mr Anderson told the Daily Mail.

“I’m hoping he’ll be used as a bargaining chip, but my son told me they torture their prisoners and I’m so frightened he’ll be tortured.”

Mr Anderson said he was sent the video by his son’s commander and was left “in complete shock and tears”.

“I could see straight away it was him. He looks frightened, scared and worried,” he added.

In the video of Mr Anderson first posted to the Telegram messaging platform, he tells a man questioning him from behind a camera that he served as a private in the British Army from 2019 to 2023.

He says he joined the Ukraine’s International Legion – a military unit made up of foreign volunteers – after losing his job and seeing reports on television about the war.

He says he flew to Krakow in Poland from Luton and travelled from there by bus to the Ukrainian border.

The International Legion was formed by the Ukrainian government following Russia’s invasion in 2022, with the aim of recruiting foreigners to fight.

Recruits are offered three year contracts, and paid between £440 ($550 USD) and £3,800 ($4,800 USD) per month depending on the level of combat they are engaged in.

Asked about Mr Anderson’s case earlier this week, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “We will do all we can to offer this UK national all the support we can.”

The detention follows a period of deteriorating relations between the UK and Russia.

Last week it emerged that Britain had lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s use of longer-range Storm Shadow missiles, allowing them to be fired at Russian territory.

President Putin responded with a warning: “We believe we have the right to use our weapons against the military facilities of countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities.”

Two days after deadly violence in Sambhal left four people dead and many others injured, the city in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh remains gripped by tension.

The violence broke out on Sunday during a court-ordered survey of the centuries-old Shahi Jama Masjid (mosque) that some Hindu groups claim was built at the site of a destroyed temple.

Police said the protesters, most of them Muslims, pelted them with stones and that they fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. They said 20 policemen were injured.

But family members of the four Muslim men who died on Sunday alleged that they were shot dead by police – a charge the police have denied.

Officials say the situation is now under control but a large number of police and paramilitaries are deployed around the mosque and the rest of the city.

The streets are eerily silent, littered with stones and dotted with ash marks where vehicles were set on fire.

Local authorities have imposed a ban on entry of outsiders, social activists and politicians to the city until 1 December. Internet services have been suspended and schools have been shut.

Police have registered seven cases in connection with the violence and at least 25 people have been arrested.

On Monday, BBC Hindi met the grief-stricken families of the men killed during the violence.

In the Tabela Kot area, Idro Ghazi continues to grieve inconsolably. Her 34-year-old son, Naeem Ghazi, was among the dead.

Her son, she said, was not a part of the protest and had gone to the market to purchase oil. He was surrounded and shot near the mosque, she alleged.

Despite her grief, the devastated mother has decided not to lodge a case against the police.

“We do not have the courage to fight the police and the government,” she said, her voice heavy with sorrow.

About two kilometres away, in the Baghicha Sarayatrin colony, a silent crowd had gathered outside a mosque. Nafees, who lost his 22-year-old son Bilal in the violence, sat on the steps with his head bowed.

His son, he said, had gone to buy clothes when he was killed. “The police shot him in the chest,” he alleged.

The police have denied these allegations. Senior police official Muniraj G told BBC Hindi that the police did not open fire on the crowd during the violence.

The Sambhal police have filed charges against more than 2,700 people – including the local member of parliament Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, who is from the regional opposition Samajwadi Party. They accuse him of provoking the protesters.

Barq strongly denied any involvement and said he was in Bengaluru to attend a meeting at the time of the violence. As evidence, he showed the BBC Hindi team his flight tickets.

Opposition parties in the state have criticised the state’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for trying to polarise people along religious lines.

A politician from India’s main opposition Congress party, Tauqeer Ahmed, said people were so afraid that they were unwilling to even speak out about how the four men had died.

Akhilesh Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and leader of Barq’s party, accused the state officials of “orchestrating the riot” – a charge they deny.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Yadav also questioned the urgency of conducting the survey at the mosque.

The controversy surrounding the Shahi Jama Masjid is the latest in a series of disputes involving mosques across India, where Hindu groups have claimed that Muslim rulers destroyed temples to build over them.

Tensions in the city first flared on 19 November, when a local court ordered a survey of the mosque site after a petition claimed that the 16th-century mosque had been built on the ruins of a Hindu temple. Hours after the court order, authorities in Uttar Pradesh began the survey.

Sunday’s survey, which took place five days after the first one, turned violent when a large group of protesters gathered near the mosque and began shouting slogans at the survey team.

On the day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Anton says the nuclear weapons base he was serving at was put on full combat alert.

“Before that, we had only exercises. But on the day the war started, the weapons were fully in place,” says the former officer in the Russian nuclear forces. “We were ready to launch the forces into the sea and air and, in theory, carry out a nuclear strike.”

I met Anton in a secret location outside Russia. For his own protection, the BBC will not reveal where. We have also changed his name and are not showing his face.

Anton was an officer at a top-secret nuclear weapons facility in Russia.

He has shown us documents confirming his unit, rank and base.

The BBC is unable to independently verify all the events he described, although they do chime with Russian statements at the time.

Three days after troops poured over Ukraine’s borders, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces had been ordered into a “special mode of combat service”.

Anton says that combat alert was in place on day one of the war and claims his unit was “shut inside the base”.

“All we had was Russian state TV,” says the former officer, “I didn’t really know what it all meant. I automatically carried out my duties. We weren’t fighting in the war, we were just guarding the nuclear weapons.”

The state of alert was cancelled, he adds, after two to three weeks.

Anton’s testimony offers an insight into the top-secret inner workings of the nuclear forces in Russia. It is extremely rare for service members to talk to journalists.

“There is a very strict selection process there. Everyone is a professional soldier – no conscripts,” he explains.

“There are constant checks and lie-detector tests for everyone. The pay is much higher, and the troops aren’t sent to war. They’re there to either repel, or carry out, a nuclear strike.”

The former officer says life was tightly controlled.

“It was my responsibility to ensure the soldiers under me didn’t take any phones on to the nuclear base,” he explains.

“It’s a closed society, there are no strangers there. If you want your parents to visit, you need to submit a request to the FSB Security Service three months in advance.”

Anton was part of the base’s security unit – a rapid-reaction force that guarded the nuclear weapons.

“We had constant training exercises. Our reaction time was two minutes,” he says, with a hint of pride.

Russia has around 4,380 operational nuclear warheads, according to the Federation of American Scientists, but only 1,700 are “deployed” or ready for use. All the Nato member states combined possess a similar number.

There are also concerns about whether Putin could choose to deploy “non-strategic”, often called tactical, nuclear weapons. These are smaller missiles that generally don’t cause widespread radioactive fallout.

Their use would nevertheless lead to a dangerous escalation in the war.

The Kremlin has been doing all it can to test the West’s nerves.

Only last week Putin ratified changes to the nuclear doctrine – the official rules dictating how and when Russia can launch nuclear weapons.

The doctrine now says Russia can launch if it comes under “massive attack” from conventional missiles by a non-nuclear state but “with the participation or support of a nuclear state”.

Russian officials say the updated doctrine “effectively eliminates” the possibility of its defeat on the battlefield.

But is Russia’s nuclear arsenal fully functional?

Some Western experts have suggested its weapons mostly date from the Soviet era, and might not even work.

The former nuclear forces officer rejected that opinion as a “very simplified view from so-called experts”.

“There might be some old-fashioned types of weapons in some areas, but the country has an enormous nuclear arsenal, a huge amount of warheads, including constant combat patrol on land, sea and air.”

Russia’s nuclear weapons were fully operational and battle-ready, he maintained. “The work to maintain the nuclear weapons is carried out constantly, it never stops even for one minute.”

Shortly after the full-scale war began, Anton said he was given what he describes as a “criminal order” – to hold lectures with his troops using very specific written guidelines.

“They said that Ukrainian civilians are combatants and should be destroyed!” he exclaims. “That’s a red line for me – it’s a war crime. I said I won’t spread this propaganda.”

Senior officers reprimanded Anton by transferring him to a regular assault brigade in another part of the country. He was told he would be sent to war.

These units are often sent in to battle as the “first wave” and a number of Russian deserters have told the BBC that “troublemakers” who object to the war have been used as “cannon fodder”.

The Russian embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment.

Before he could be sent to the front line, Anton signed a statement refusing to take part in the war and a criminal case was opened against him. He showed us documents confirming his transfer to the assault brigade and details of the criminal case.

He then decided to flee the country with the help of a volunteer organisation for deserters.

“If I had run away from the nuclear forces base, then the local FSB Security Service would’ve reacted decisively and I probably wouldn’t have been able to leave the country,” he said.

But he believes that, because he had been transferred to an ordinary assault brigade, the system of top-level security clearance failed.

Anton said he wanted the world to know that many Russian soldiers were against the war.

The volunteer organisation that helps deserters, “Idite Lesom” [‘Go by the Forest’, in English, or ‘Get Lost’] has told the BBC that the number of deserters seeking help has risen to 350 a month.

The risks to those fleeing are growing, too. At least one deserter has been killed after fleeing abroad, and there have been several cases of men being forcibly returned to Russia and put on trial.

Although Anton has left Russia, he says security services are still looking for him there: “I take precautions here, I work off the books and I don’t show up in any official systems.”

He says he has stopped speaking to his friends at the nuclear base because he could put them in danger: “They must take lie-detector tests, and any contact with me could lead to a criminal case.”

But he is under no illusion about the risk he is himself in by helping other soldiers to flee.

“I understand the more I do that, the higher the chances they could try and kill me.”

Is Donald Trump serious about tariffs? This has been the question hanging over not just world markets but the whole world of economics.

The popular wisdom had become that he wasn’t really that serious, and the key bit of evidence for that was his nomination of hedge fund investor Scott Bessent as his Treasury Secretary, someone seen as a moderate when it came to tariffs compared with others whose names were floated for the role.

The answer overnight, though, was pretty brutal. Yes, he is serious, and in the most unexpected way. By choosing to target Mexico and Canada as well as China, he is confirming threats made on the campaign trail that appeared the most fanciful.

For starters he is willing to blow up the Mexico-Canada-America trade deal that he signed in his first term on day one of his second term.

What does a Trump free trade deal even mean now, if the new White House is willing to put tariffs on your country?

And specifically, the rationale for these moves is not mainly or even much about trade or economic policy. These tariffs are about getting Mexico, Canada and China to alter their policies on crackdowns over migration and illicit drugs.

Trump is using tariffs as a weapon of diplomacy, even coercion, on topics entirely unrelated to global trade.

Are the leaders of G20 nations with their own domestic audiences really going to roll over in order to give the new president a win?

They could choose to wait out the inevitable impact of Trump applying a 25% increase on the cost of two-fifths of US imports on US consumers and inflation.

What is also clear is that the selection of Bessent as Treasury Secretary will not temper the tariff push.

Amid the battle for his nomination he went out of his way to acknowledge the power of tariffs as a tool that had been pioneered by Alexander Hamilton himself, the first ever US Treasury Secretary.

But earlier this year he had also suggested that while tariffs might be used tactically, the main tool for the US rejuvenation of manufacturing would be a cheaper dollar.

Europe and the UK have been spared for now. But it is important to reiterate that these moves are not even the real bulk of the tariff policy outlined by Trump.

He wants to fundamentally change the global economic map, and reduce China and Europe’s trade surplus with the US, which he views as “ripping off America”.

The world is far more complicated now, however, than these binary economic relationships. The US is undoubtedly powerful enough to start rebalancing world trade.

Push things too far though, especially with G7 and G20 allies, and the US might find itself rather too isolated.

US universities have been emailing international students and staff advising them to return to campus before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, amid concerns over his plans for mass deportations.

“All international students are worried right now,” University of Colorado Denver professor Chloe East told the BBC.

Trump, a Republican, has pledged to enact the largest deportation operation in history, and use the US military to help.

More than 400,000 undocumented students are enrolled in US higher education, according to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal.

Officials in Trump’s incoming administration have suggested they will build vast holding facilities for undocumented immigrants on the deportation list.

His incoming border tsar Tom Homan has said violent criminals and national security threats will take priority for removal from the country. But that has not allayed concerns in higher education.

• Trump’s ‘border tsar’ vows to cut funding to ‘sanctuary’ states

“Students are incredibly overwhelmed and stressed out right now as a result of the uncertainty around immigration,” Prof East told the BBC.

“A lot of students have concerns about their visas and whether they’ll be allowed to continue their education.”

In November, the University of Massachusetts issued a travel advisory to its international students and faculty, encouraging them to “strongly consider” returning to campus from winter break before Trump takes office on 20 January.

“Based on previous experience with travel bans that were enacted in the first Trump Administration in 2016, the Office of Global Affairs is making this advisory out of an abundance of caution,” the college said.

Trump signed an executive order during his first week in the White House in 2017 banning nationals of several predominantly Muslim nations, as well as North Korea and Venezuela, from visiting the US. During his first presidency he also proposed some limitations on student visas.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Wesleyan University have also issued travel advisories, urging students and staff to return to the US before inauguration day.

At Yale University, the Office of International Students and Scholars hosted a webinar this month fielding concerns from students about potential immigration policy shifts, the student newspaper reported.

This includes foreign-born students who are protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) policy.

Trump has attempted to end the Obama-era programme, which shielded over half a million migrants who came to the US as children from deportation.

Prof East said students from Asia, particularly China, are feeling “uncertainty” about US-China relations under Trump.

Aoi Maeda, an international student from Japan studying at Earlham College in Indiana, is among those with concerns about her academic future.

“I am planning to graduate in May 2026, but now that the administration is going to be a little bit more dangerous, I’m less hopeful about things going well,” she said.

“[Trump] claims that he is only interested in keeping illegal immigrants out of the country, but he also kind of tries to move the goal post a lot of times,” Maeda continued.

“I feel like us international students with a visa might get affected, and it’ll become easier to deport us.”

• How these new recruits will be vetted
• What Trump can and can’t do on day one
• What Trump picks say about Mid East policy

A 13-year-old has become the youngest player to get a deal in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s richest cricket tournament.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi from the eastern state of Bihar was bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for 11m rupees ($130,500; £103,789) in the recently-concluded auctions in Saudi Arabia.

The left-handed batter has represented his state in national championships, such as Ranji and Mushtaq Ali trophies, and India in the Under-19 internationals.

Delhi Capitals and RR bid for him starting from 3m rupees but RR, where he had trained previously, managed to seal the deal.

Indian cricket was traditionally dominated by urban centres such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru but IPL has managed to attract a wider pool of cricketers from far-off villages and small towns of India.

Suryavanshi, who is in Dubai to play India Under-19 Asia Cup, made his Ranji debut at the age of 12 in January with Bihar against Mumbai.

In his five Ranji matches, he has scored a highest of 41. But the highlight of his career has been his 58-ball century as an opener in an Under-19 unofficial Test against Australia a few weeks ago – which also made him the youngest to score a century in youth cricket.

He has also made an unbeaten 332 in an Under-19 tournament in Bihar.

RR saw raw potential in the youngster as he impressed their coaching staff during a training session.

“He’s an incredible talent and, of course, you got to have the confidence so he can step up to the IPL level,” the team’s CEO Jake Lush McCrum told ESPN Cricinfo after the auction ended.

He said that Suryavanshi’s development would require work, but “he is a hell of a talent and we’re really excited to have him as part of the franchise”.

Though Indian laws ban child labour below 14, experts say no such guidelines exist for sports, where players below 14 regularly compete in national and international events.

But to play an international match organised by International Cricket Council (ICC), Suryavanshi may have to wait until he is 15 since that’s the minimum age limit set by cricket’s governing body.

The news of Suryavanshi’s auction and the size of his contract has brought a lot of joy to his family who had to sell their land to finance his cricketing dreams.

His father Sanjiv Suryavanshi told PTI news agency that “he is not just my son now but is Bihar’s son”.

Mr Suryavanshi, a farmer from Bihar who had migrated to Mumbai for employment, worked as a bouncer in a nightclub and at a public toilet, he told Indian Express newspaper.

His biggest concern now is to ensure that his son remains grounded. “I will talk to him and make sure that this IPL auction doesn’t go to his head. He still has a long way to go,” he said.

A threat by US President-elect Donald Trump to tax imports from America’s three biggest trade partners has caused concern in one of the countries affected, Canada.

He has vowed to impose a 25% tariff on all goods from America’s northern neighbour – while also targeting Mexico and China. He described it as an attempt to tackle illegal migration and drug-smuggling to the US.

Doug Ford, the leader of Ontario province, was among those who criticised the move, which he described as “devastating”.

The official Canadian response has been more muted. CBC reported there had been a flurry of late-night calls between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump, and between the PM and province leaders.

A Canadian government official confirmed to the BBC that Trudeau and Trump spoke for about 10 minutes in what was described as a “good conversation”, and that they would stay in touch.

In the call, Trudeau pointed out that the number of migrants crossing the border from Canada was much smaller compared to the number crossing the border from Mexico, the official said.

In a public statement, Canadian ministers emphasised their work on the shared border – on which they said they placed the “highest priority”.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc also used their statement to stress the importance of the US-Canada trading partnership, saying 60% of last year’s US crude oil imports originated in Canada.

America’s northern neighbour accounted for some US$437bn (£347bn) of US imports in 2022, and was the largest market for US exports in the same year, according to US data.

• Follow live reaction to Trump’s announcement
• Full story: Trump vows new tariffs on day one

The 25% tariff on goods from Canada would be signed straight after he took office on 20 January 2025, Trump said on Monday.

He described the move as an effort to get the three other countries to toughen up on the illegal flow to the US of people and drugs, specifically fentanyl.

Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province, said the proposed tariff would be “devastating to workers and jobs in both Canada and the US”.

He called on the government to “take the situation at our border seriously”, and for Trudeau to “call an urgent meeting with all premiers”.

Ford was echoed by the leaders of Quebec and British Columbia, while a post on the X account of Alberta leader Daniella Smith acknowledged that Trump had “valid concerns related to illegal activities at our shared border”.

The Canadian American Business Council (CABC) said “we strongly oppose” the proposed tariff, which the council said would undermine a North American trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico that was renegotiated under Trump’s first term.

The CABC statement added that the move would “harm businesses on both sides of the border and erode the economic and geopolitical strength of North America.”

Other business voices urged calm. “We’ve gamed out the possibilities that he lumps Canada and Mexico issues together, we’ve been there before,” said the head of Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturers’​ Association (APMA) in a statement reported by CBC. “We are prepared and connected.”

Tariff hikes touted by Trump on the election trail could be a negotiating strategy, it has previously been suggested by the man picked by the US president-elect to be his new US Treasury secretary.

“My general view is that at the end of the day, he’s a free trader,” Scott Bessent said of Trump in an interview with the Financial Times before he was nominated for the role. “It’s escalate to de-escalate.”

Trump’s new border tsar Tom Homan has called the northern border an “extreme national security vulnerability”. He has alleged that Canada is being used as a path to enter the US by people from countries deemed to sponsor terrorism.

Illegal crossings from the US to Canada are vastly outnumbered by the number that take place from Mexico, another country targeted by Trump’s planned tariffs. But there appears to have been a surge.

Robert Garcia, a border official covering the US north-east, said last month that more than 19,000 people from 97 different countries had been arrested over the previous 12 months, which was more than “the last 17 fiscal years combined”.

• Two men guilty over smuggling deaths at US-Canada border
• Why Indians are risking it all to chase the American Dream

Experts have told the BBC that America’s northern border is longer and less guarded than the southern one, with a similar presence of criminal smugglers.

One recent high-profile trial in the US shed light on smuggling operations that help foreign nationals move to North America unlawfully.

A jury in the US state of Minnesota found two men guilty of helping bring an Indian family from Canada to the US in January 2022, leading to their deaths.

• Who has joined Trump’s top team?
• What Trump can and can’t do on day one
• How undocumented migrants feel about deportations
• Can RFK Jr make America healthy again?
• The rise and fall of Matt Gaetz, in eight wild days

North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher makes sense of the presidential election in his twice weekly US Election Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

A man has been arrested after a tractor driver was seen driving through deep floodwaters in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, which led to damage to shops.

The town centre was flooded on Sunday after a wall collapsed by Kyre Brook.

In a video shared on social media, a wave from the tractor’s wake was seen striking shops and homes overlooking the street, breaking some windows.

A 57-year-old was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving and released on bail while inquiries continue, police said.

Insp Dave Wise, of West Mercia Police, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who brought this incident to our attention and to the local community for their cooperation and support yesterday while we carried our initial inquiries.”

Adding he understood the upset and anger caused, he said: “Officers will continue to be out and about in Tenbury in the coming days to assist the local community and our partner agencies with recovery efforts following the flooding.”

Following the wall collapse, a torrent of water deluged the town centre within seconds with rescue workers yelling to pedestrians to “get back”.

Garry and Sarah Thompson’s Special Occasions card shop was one of those flooded.

“There’s a serious problem in Tenbury now,” Mr Thompson said.

“We’ve got a risk of businesses leaving the town.”

He said it had taken the town “a good two years” to recover from previous flooding in 2007.

“So that’s pretty scary,” he added.

Paul and Rachel Rogers, from Nature’s Design Studio, described how water entered their shop for the first time after windows broke.

“It’s caused so much devastation,” Mrs Rogers said.

“We have buildings insurance but we don’t have contents insurance. It’s going to cost us.”

The Crow pub also flooded after water overwhelmed sandbags and smashed through windows.

Licensee Paul Birkin described it as a “miracle” nobody was hurt.

“[The water] actually hit the back wall you know, I mean there’s glass all over the place,” he said. “Absolutely distraught.”

Worcestershire county councillor David Chambers described his frustration over the lack of flood defences in the town.

The Conservative member said: “We’re lobbying as hard as we possibly can and I have to say there’s real frustration now that progress doesn’t seem to be happening.”

The Environment Agency said it had been complex to design a scheme in keeping with the town’s heritage and funding was needed to deliver it.

“We’re working tirelessly to try and get something because we see the impact that Tenbury’s had and it’s not sustainable for that community at all,” said Nick Green, from the agency.

“When I stepped out of my house, it felt like I was inhaling smoke,” says Imran Ahmed Ali, a lawyer in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh.

Pollution levels in Chandigarh – India’s first planned city, located about 240km (150 miles) from capital Delhi – have been at more than 15 times the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for more than a month.

It is now common for air quality in the city to dip every winter, but Mr Ali says he has never felt so sick before.

A few weeks ago, the 31-year-old began experiencing a dry cough and shortness of breath, which he initially dismissed as symptoms of a seasonal cold. But as the temperature dropped, his chest congestion worsened and he went to a doctor.

“After running several tests, the doctor told me that my symptoms were caused by pollution. I’m now taking medicine twice a day to manage my breathing,” he says.

Mr Ali is among hundreds of millions of people living in northern India who are forced to breathe toxic polluted air for extended periods every winter.

According to Swiss firm IQAir, eight of the 10 most polluted cities in the world last year were located in the Indo-Gangetic plains – a densely populated region which stretches across northern and eastern India, along with parts of Pakistan and Nepal.

A recent report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago reiterates that the northern plains – home to 540.7 million people across Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal – is the most polluted region in India. When compared with the WHO’s standards, air pollution at current levels could reduce the life expectancy of people here by 5.4 years, it adds.

But as the toxic smog closes in every winter, headlines and attention are mostly focused on Delhi.

Delhi receives significant attention due to its position as the capital of India, says Parthaa Bosu, strategic adviser at the Environmental Defense Fund, a non-profit group focused on delivering climate solutions.

Every year, the Delhi government implements an annual action plan, which includes measures such as driving restrictions and a ban on construction activities during peak pollution periods.

Even though there is criticism that this isn’t enough, most other places in northern India have not seen such proactive steps.

Mr Bosu says that often, people don’t associate other parts of northern India – particularly villages and small towns and cities – with high pollution.

“In [people’s] minds, villages are clean, green and pristine – but that’s far from the reality,” he says.

• Living in Delhi smog is like watching a dystopian film again and again

Pollution in the region is not caused by a single factor, but a combination of elements – such as construction activities, vehicular emissions, industrial pollutants and the seasonal burning of crop residue.

While many of these factors are present throughout the year, the difference in the winter months – from October to January – is the weather conditions.

The air quality worsens each winter because cold stagnant air traps pollutants near the ground, making it harder for them to disperse, says Mahesh Palawat, vice president of meteorology and climate change at weather forecasting company Skymet.

The landlocked geography of the Indo-Gangetic Plain worsens the situation. The region is surrounded by mountains and lacks strong winds, which normally help blow polluted air away.

Doctors and health experts warn of the risks of breathing in these pollutants.

“Patients complain of a burning sensation in their eyes and throat when they step outside. Some face difficulty in breathing,” says Dr Rajesh Gupta, director of the pulmonary department at Fortis Hospital in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh state.

Dr Gupta says that people who are otherwise healthy also develop respiratory troubles this time of the year, and that children and the elderly are especially vulnerable.

The bleak conditions also exact a mental toll. Aditi Garg, who works in Meerut town – about 100km from Delhi – used to cherish the quiet moments on her balcony each morning.

That routine has been disrupted completely.

Since mid-October, pollution levels in Meerut have remained at levels classified as “poor” or “severe”, making it difficult to breathe.

Ms Garg now spends nearly all her time indoors, next to her air purifier, trying to shield herself from the toxic air outside.

“I don’t have an option but to stay inside, this is the best I can do,” she says.

And not everyone has the privilege of staying indoors.

In Uttar Pradesh alone, more than 83 million people are registered as employees in the unorganised sector. The actual number is likely to be much higher.

This includes daily wage workers, street vendors and agricultural labourers who have no choice but to work outdoors, risking their health.

Standing outside his shanty in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur city, Mohammad Salim Siddiqui gasps for breath as he speaks.

An automobile spare parts vendor and the sole breadwinner of his family, Mr Siddiqui has to brave the pollution every day.

“Two members of my family are struggling with respiratory problems because of the pollution,” says Mr Siddiqui, adding that it’s particularly bad in crowded slums.

“We need help,” he says.

Over the years, governments in some states have made efforts to counter the pollution problem.

In 2019, India launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) with an aim to reduce particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5, tiny particles that can enter the lungs and cause diseases) levels by 20-30% by 2026 as compared to 2017 levels.

The goal was later updated to reduce PM10 levels up to 40% by 2026.

Under this programme, 131 Indian cities – including many in the Indo-Gangetic Plains – were to develop tailored plans to address local pollution sources.

While it has helped raise awareness and set goals, experts say stronger action and better coordination between local and state governments are needed to make a real difference.

Mr Bosu says that the lack of dialogue remains the biggest barrier against meaningful change.

Both Ms Garg and Mr Ali echo this, saying there is barely any conversation about the toxic air quality in their cities.

“People have unfortunately accepted this as a part of their lives,” says Mr. Ali.

“It’s a discussion they have every year when pollution is at its peak, and then conveniently forget about – until next time.”

Police in Laos have detained eight members of staff at a backpacker hostel following the deaths of six tourists from suspected methanol poisoning last week.

According to local media, those detained include workers and management from the Nana Backpacker Hostel in the town of Vang Vieng, where several of the tourists who later died had stayed.

It is unclear how many other people were taken ill and an investigation into the deaths is continuing.

The owners of the hostel, which is now closed, have previously denied serving illicit alcohol.

It is not the first time that police have detained staff from the hostel. The manager was among a number of people who were questioned by police last week.

He earlier told the Associated Press news agency that 19-year-old Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were the only people staying at the hostel to have become unwell after drinking free shots before heading out for the night.

The pair died days later – after being admitted to hospital in neighbouring Thailand. Theirs were the first deaths suspected to be caused by methanol – a toxic, flavourless and colourless substance commonly added to bootleg alcohol.

Two Danish women and a 57-year-old American man, who were also staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, died at around the same time.

The two young Danes – Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21 – were found unconscious in their hostel bedroom on 13 November.

That was the same day that the Australian women were taken to hospital after going out to a bar in the city the night before, local media reported.

They were sent to a hospital in the capital Vientiane, but died in the middle of the night. The medical team said the cause of death was sudden heart failure.

Also on 13 November, hostel staff noticed that the American tourist – named as James Louis Hutson – had not come out of his room.

When they went to check on him, he was found lying dead on the bed, with several empty drinks glasses nearby. There were no bruises or wounds on his body, local media reported.

Simone White, a 28-year-old London lawyer, also died after she was believed to have ingested methanol while staying in Vang Vieng.

• What is methanol and how does it affect the body?

The tourists’ deaths have cast a spotlight on the popular backpacking town and spooked tourists, especially women, as five of the six who died were female travellers.

Governments including New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, have warned their citizens about drinking spirits in Laos.

Some travellers in Vang Vieng are steering clear of the once-popular free shots and alcohol buckets offered to tourists, telling the BBC that they felt concerned about their safety.

Methanol poisoning is the most prevalent in Asia, mostly affecting poorer communities and places with weak food regulations and enforcement.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Tuesday that another Australian, a dual national, may also have become ill from methanol poisoning.

A New Zealander who had fallen ill from suspected methanol poisoning in the country has now returned home, authorities have confirmed.

The Erik and Lyle Menendez case has turned a nondescript Los Angeles courthouse into the hottest ticket in Tinseltown – sparking the kind of frenzy usually seen at red-carpet Hollywood premieres.

The brothers – who shot and killed their wealthy parents in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989 – could win freedom after more than 30 years in prison.

On Monday the duo appeared in court via teleconference – the first time they’ve attended a hearing in years – to find out next steps in their bid for release.

Trial-watchers began queuing outside at 05:15 local time – more than five hours before the proceedings were due to start.

A heady mix of new evidence, a popular Netflix docuseries, and a dash of politics have turbocharged public interest in the case.

Several members of the Menendez family testified during Monday’s hearing, arguing for the brothers’ release.

But the judge overseeing the case postponed a hearing on whether they should be resentenced until January, after the county’s newly elected district attorney is sworn in and has time to review the case.

MORE: Menendez brothers’ resentencing hearing delayed until January

Only 16 seats were available on Monday for the several dozen members of the public who waited outside.

Officials handed out red raffle tickets and hosted a lottery on the steps of the courthouse to determine who those lucky individuals would be.

Peggy Savani, 60, was on holiday in nearby Venice Beach with her family from Ohio and decided she had to go. Her husband was working, and her daughter wasn’t interested in tagging along.

“I told them, ‘I’m going. I don’t care,'” she told the BBC after grabbing her red raffle ticket.

Ms Savani remembered all the hype surrounding the case when she watched the brothers’ two criminal trials in the late 1990s – one ended in a mistrial and the second with their conviction and sentence to life in prison.

She noted the new evidence into their claims of sexual abuse by their father – a key element to their defence – and how society had changed in its understanding of sexual violence against both males and females.

“I think that what happened to them is not right and so I’m really glad that this is happening,” Ms Savani said.

“I just thought I’d come down and see what it’s all about and maybe be part of it.”

As she took a photo of her red raffle ticket, she laughed and said it was almost “like a golden ticket” – a reference to the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The crowd was filled with a mix of local residents who remembered watching the original trials, students who were studying law or criminal justice and those who simply wanted a ringside seat to one of the most notorious criminal cases in US history.

“I think this might be a once-in-a-lifetime event for us to experience,” Elena Gordon, 43, told the BBC. “I feel like this is a historical moment for southern California.”

A lifelong resident of nearby Orange County, she said she remembered watching the case when she was young and “to see it just ripped back open is pretty incredible”.

“It’s not about gawking at the brothers,” she added. “It’s about witnessing history.”

Greta and Anna, international students from Italy and the United Kingdom who are studying at the University of California, Los Angeles, said they both watched the Netflix drama series about the case, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Anna, who is from Notting Hill, west London. “It will be interesting to see what happens behind the scenes.”

The group of hopefuls huddled in the Van Nuys courthouse square, which was littered with autumn leaves, to find out if they won. A hush fell over the boisterous crowd – including dozens of journalists – as officials drew tickets from a manila envelope.

As numbers were read, each person peered intently at their ticket and then glanced around at the crowd to see who was called.

Bursts of excited screams cut through the silence.

Some jolted forwards while others tried to scurry past the throngs of cameras and media equipment to grab one of the lucky yellow badges – their key to enter the court.

Christian Garcia won the last ticket.

“It was very emotional,” the social media influencer said after the hearing.

“Honestly, today’s been a rollercoaster, but I had a gut feeling I was going to enter,” he added.

“I told my followers I’m going to enter into that room and God opened the door.”

Two days after deadly violence in Sambhal left four people dead and many others injured, the city in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh remains gripped by tension.

The violence broke out on Sunday during a court-ordered survey of the centuries-old Shahi Jama Masjid (mosque) that some Hindu groups claim was built at the site of a destroyed temple.

Police said the protesters, most of them Muslims, pelted them with stones and that they fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. They said 20 policemen were injured.

But family members of the four Muslim men who died on Sunday alleged that they were shot dead by police – a charge the police have denied.

Officials say the situation is now under control but a large number of police and paramilitaries are deployed around the mosque and the rest of the city.

The streets are eerily silent, littered with stones and dotted with ash marks where vehicles were set on fire.

Local authorities have imposed a ban on entry of outsiders, social activists and politicians to the city until 1 December. Internet services have been suspended and schools have been shut.

Police have registered seven cases in connection with the violence and at least 25 people have been arrested.

On Monday, BBC Hindi met the grief-stricken families of the men killed during the violence.

In the Tabela Kot area, Idro Ghazi continues to grieve inconsolably. Her 34-year-old son, Naeem Ghazi, was among the dead.

Her son, she said, was not a part of the protest and had gone to the market to purchase oil. He was surrounded and shot near the mosque, she alleged.

Despite her grief, the devastated mother has decided not to lodge a case against the police.

“We do not have the courage to fight the police and the government,” she said, her voice heavy with sorrow.

About two kilometres away, in the Baghicha Sarayatrin colony, a silent crowd had gathered outside a mosque. Nafees, who lost his 22-year-old son Bilal in the violence, sat on the steps with his head bowed.

His son, he said, had gone to buy clothes when he was killed. “The police shot him in the chest,” he alleged.

The police have denied these allegations. Senior police official Muniraj G told BBC Hindi that the police did not open fire on the crowd during the violence.

The Sambhal police have filed charges against more than 2,700 people – including the local member of parliament Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, who is from the regional opposition Samajwadi Party. They accuse him of provoking the protesters.

Barq strongly denied any involvement and said he was in Bengaluru to attend a meeting at the time of the violence. As evidence, he showed the BBC Hindi team his flight tickets.

Opposition parties in the state have criticised the state’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for trying to polarise people along religious lines.

A politician from India’s main opposition Congress party, Tauqeer Ahmed, said people were so afraid that they were unwilling to even speak out about how the four men had died.

Akhilesh Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and leader of Barq’s party, accused the state officials of “orchestrating the riot” – a charge they deny.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Yadav also questioned the urgency of conducting the survey at the mosque.

The controversy surrounding the Shahi Jama Masjid is the latest in a series of disputes involving mosques across India, where Hindu groups have claimed that Muslim rulers destroyed temples to build over them.

Tensions in the city first flared on 19 November, when a local court ordered a survey of the mosque site after a petition claimed that the 16th-century mosque had been built on the ruins of a Hindu temple. Hours after the court order, authorities in Uttar Pradesh began the survey.

Sunday’s survey, which took place five days after the first one, turned violent when a large group of protesters gathered near the mosque and began shouting slogans at the survey team.