The hum of sewing machines is a constant in parts of Guangzhou, a thriving port on the Pearl River in southern China.

It rattles through the open windows of factories from morning until late at night, as they finish the t-shirts, shorts, blouses, pants and swimwear that will be shipped to fill wardrobes in more than 150 countries.

This is the sound of Panyu, the neighbourhood known as the “Shein village”, a warren of factories that power the world’s largest fast fashion retailer.

“If there are 31 days in a month, I will work 31 days,” one worker told the BBC.

Most said they only have one day off a month.

The BBC spent several days here: we visited 10 factories, spoke to four owners and more than 20 workers. We also spent time at labour markets and textile suppliers.

We found that the beating heart of this empire is a workforce sitting behind sewing machines for around 75 hours a week in contravention of Chinese labour laws.

These hours are not unusual in Guangzhou, an industrial hub for rural workers in search of a higher income; or in China, which has long been the world’s unrivalled factory.

But they add to a growing list of questions about Shein, once a little-known Chinese-founded company that has become a global behemoth in just over five years.

Still privately-owned, it is estimated to be worth about £36bn ($60bn) and is now eyeing a listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Its meteoric rise, however, has been dogged with controversy about its treatment of workers and allegations of forced labour.

Last year it admitted to finding children working in its factories in China.

The company declined to be interviewed but told the BBC in a statement that “Shein is committed to ensuring the fair and dignified treatment of all workers within our supply chain” and is investing tens of millions of dollars in strengthening governance and compliance”.

It added: “We strive to set the highest standards for pay and we require that all supply chain partners adhere to our code of conduct. Furthermore, Shein works with auditors to ensure compliance.”

Shein’s success lies in volume – the inventory online runs into the hundreds of thousands – and deep discounts: £10 dresses, £6 sweaters, prices that hover below £8 on average.

Revenue has soared, outstripping the likes of H&M, Zara and the UK’s Primark. The cut-price sales are driven by places like the Shein village, home to some 5,000 factories, most of them Shein suppliers.

The buildings have been hollowed out to make way for sewing machines, rolls of fabric and bags brimming with cloth scraps. The doors to their basements are always open for the seemingly endless cycle of deliveries and collections.

As the day passes, the shelves fill up with warehouse-bound, clear plastic bags labelled with a now-distinctive five-letter noun.

But even past 22:00, the sewing machines – and the people hunched over them – don’t stop as more fabric arrives, in trucks so full that bolts of colour sometimes tumble onto the factory floor.

“We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day,” says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. “On Sundays we work around three hours less.”

She is in an alleyway, where a dozen people are huddled around a row of bulletin boards.

They are reading the job ads on the board, while examining the stitching on a pair of chinos draped over it.

This is Shein’s supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order – some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil.

The migrant worker from Jiangxi is looking for a short-term contract – and the chinos are an option.

“We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high,” she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents.

“We get paid per piece,” she explains. “It depends how difficult the item is. Something simple like a t-shirt is one-two yuan [less than a dollar] per piece and I can make around a dozen in an hour.”

Examining the stitching on the chinos is crucial for making that decision. All around her, workers are calculating how much they will get paid to make each piece of clothing and how many they can make in an hour.

The alleys of Panyu function as labour markets, filling up in the mornings as workers and scooters rush past the breakfast dumpling cart, the cups of steaming soybean milk and the hopeful farmer selling chicken and duck eggs.

Standard working hours appear to be from 08:00 to well past 22:00, the BBC found.

This is consistent with a report from the Swiss advocacy group Public Eye, which was based on interviews with 13 textile workers at factories producing clothes for Shein.

They found that a number of staff were working excessive overtime. It noted the basic wage without overtime was 2,400 yuan (£265; $327) – below the 6,512 yuan the Asia Floor Wage Alliance says is needed for a “living wage”. But the workers we spoke to managed to earn anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 yuan a month.

“These hours are not unusual, but it’s clear that it’s illegal and it violates basic human rights,” said David Hachfield from the group. “It’s an extreme form of exploitation and this needs to be visible.”

The average working week should not exceed 44 hours, according to Chinese labour laws, which also state that employers should ensure workers have at least one rest day a week. If an employer wants to extend these hours, it should be for special reasons.

While Shein’s headquarters are now in Singapore, there is no denying the majority of its products are made in China.

And Shein’s success has drawn the attention of Washington, which is increasingly wary of Chinese firms.

In June, Donald Trump’s pick for US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said he had “grave ethics concerns” about Shein’s “deep ties to the People’s Republic of China”: “Slave labour, sweatshops, and trade tricks are the dirty secrets behind Shein’s success,” he wrote.

Not everyone would agree with Rubio’s choice of words to describe the conditions at Shein’s suppliers. But rights groups say that the long working hours, which have become a way of life for many in Guangzhou, are unfair and exploitative.

The machines dictate the rhythm of the day.

They pause for lunch and dinner when the workers, metal plates and chopsticks in hand, file into the canteen to buy food. If there is no more space to sit, they stand in the street.

“I’ve been working in these factories for more than 40 years,” said one woman who spent just 20 minutes eating her meal. This was just another day for her.

Inside, the factories we visit are not cramped. There is enough light and industrial-sized fans have been brought in to keep workers cool. Huge posters urge staff to report underage workers – likely a response to finding two cases of child labour in the supply chain last year.

The BBC understands that the company is keeping a closer eye on its suppliers ahead of plans to go public on the London Stock Exchange.

“This is about their reputation,” says Sheng Lu, a professor in Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware. “If Shein can successfully achieve an IPO then it means they are recognised as a decent company. But if they are to keep the confidence of investors, they have to take some responsibility.”

One of the biggest challenges Shein faces is accusations that it sources cotton from China’s Xinjiang region.

Once touted as among the world’s best fabric, Xinjiang’s cotton has fallen out of favour after allegations that it is produced using forced labour by people from the Muslim Uyghur minority – a charge that Beijing has consistently denied.

The only way to get around this criticism is to be more transparent, Prof Sheng says.

“Unless you fully release your factory list, unless you make your supply chain more transparent to the public, then I think it’s going to be very challenging for Shein.”

A major advantage, he adds, is that Shein’s supply chain is in China: “Very few countries have a complete supply chain. China has this – and nobody can compete.”

Aspiring rivals like Vietnam and Bangladesh import raw materials from China to make clothes. But Chinese factories rely entirely on local sources for everything, from fabric to zippers and buttons. So it’s easy to make a variety of garments, and they are able to do it quickly.

That especially works for Shein whose algorithm determines orders. If shoppers repeatedly click on a certain dress, or spend longer looking at a wool sweater, the firms knows to ask factories to make more – and fast.

For workers in Guangzhou, this can be a challenge.

“Shein has its pros and cons,” one factory owner told us. “The good thing is the order is eventually big, but profit is low and it’s fixed.”

Shein, given its size and influence, is a hard bargainer. So factory owners have to cut costs elsewhere, often resulting in lower staff wages.

“Before Shein, we produced and sold clothes on our own,” said an owner of three factories. “We could estimate the cost, decide the price and calculate the profit. Now Shein controls the price, and you have to think about ways to reduce the cost.”

When orders peak, however, it’s a bonanza. The company ships around one million packages a day on average, according to data from ShipMatrix, a logistics consultancy firm.

“Shein is a pillar of the fashion industry,” said Guo Qing E, a Shein supplier.

“I started when Shein started. I witnessed its rise. To be honest, Shein is an awesome company in China. I think it will become stronger, because it pays on time. This is where it is most trustworthy.

“If payment for our goods is due on the 15th, no matter whether it’s millions or tens of millions, the money will be paid on time.”

Shein, with its gruelling hours and sometimes lower wages, may not be a source of comfort to all its workers. But it is a source of pride for some.

“This is the contribution we Chinese people can make to the world,” said a 33- year-old supervisor from Guangdong, who didn’t want to give her name.

It’s dark outside and workers are filing back into factories after their dinner for the final stretch. She admits the hours are long, but “we get on well with each other. We are like a family”.

Hours later, after many workers head home for the night, the lights in several buildings stay on.

Some people work until midnight, one factory owner told us. They want to earn more money, he said.

After all, in London, Chicago, Singapore, Dubai and so many other places, someone is hunting for their next bargain.

Weather forecasters in California are warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week, as fire crews on the ground race to make progress controlling three wildfires.

Officials warned that after a weekend of relatively calm winds, the notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 60mph (96km/h).

Ahead of the wind’s uptick, some progress has been made in stopping the spread of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning on opposite ends of the city. Local firefighters are being assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, who continue to arrive.

The LA County medical examiner updated the death toll on Sunday to 24, while officials said earlier at least another 16 remain missing.

Sixteen of the dead were found in the Eaton fire zone, while eight were found in the Palisades area.

Three conflagrations continue to burn around Los Angeles.

The largest fire is the Palisades, which has now burnt through more than 23,000 acres and is 11% contained.

The Eaton fire is the second biggest and has burnt through more than 14,000 acres. It is 27% contained.

The Hurst fire has grown to 799 acres and has been almost fully contained.

The wildfires are on track to be among the costliest in US history.

On Sunday, private forecaster Accuweather increased its preliminary estimate of financial losses from the blazes to between $250bn-$275bn.

While crews have managed to start containing the largest fires, authorities have warned the incoming wind event could lead to “potential disastrous wind conditions”, with the whole of LA County put under fire threat.

“Unfortunately, we’re going right back into red flag conditions with some potential disastrous wind conditions between now and Wednesday, with the peak winds expected to be on Tuesday,” Pasadena fire chief Chad Augustin told the BBC.

“While we’re making some progress, the end is not even close yet,” he said.

Kristin Crowley, the fire chief for the city of LA, called for residents near evacuation zones to be prepared to flee if an order is issued, and to stay off the roads as much as possible in order to not hinder crews.

Topanga Canyon resident Alice Husum, 67, told the BBC a new fire that began in the area overnight was quickly contained, but that she and her neighbours are all “dreading Tuesday” when the wind speeds are likely to peak.

But Ms Husum, who has stayed behind despite evacuation orders, notes that the forecast “is a little better than the 100 mile-gusts that were hammering us” earlier in the week.

New fires continued to flare up on Sunday, threatening communities in the San Fernando Valley and near Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

On Sunday, firefighters were able to quickly stop the spread of new fires in the Angeles National Forest, which surround the facility that is at the heart of the US space programme and contains top secret technology.

At least 29 people have been arrested for looting in mandatory evacuation zones. Two people were caught posing as firefighters in order to steal from evacuees.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said in a news conference Sunday he had requested more National Guard troops to bolster the 400 already in the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom has since announced that 1,000 additional members of the National Guard would be deployed.

“When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter. And I asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn’t realise we had him in handcuffs,” Sheriff Luna told reporters.

“We are turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman, and he was not. He just got caught burglarising a home. So those are issues that our front-line deputies and police officers are dealing with.”

There are now 14,000 firefighters in the southern California region, being assisted by 84 aircrafts and 1,354 fire engines, said Sheriff Luna.

Evacuation numbers have dropped, with around 105,000 residents still under mandatory evacuation orders and 87,000 under evacuation warnings.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), told CNN on Sunday that a significant threat remained.

“I know that so many people probably want to get back into the area and check on their homes, but with winds picking back up, you never know which way they’re going to go,” she said.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that limited access had been allowed to evacuated residents over the weekend, but that his officers are once again barring all residents from returning.

Officials have issued repeated orders for drone operators to not fly near fire zones, and are now seeking information after a drone crashed into a vital plane.

The FBI has shared photos of the small drone which on Thursday collided with a plane known as a “Super Scooper”, one of the world’s most affective firefighting aircrafts, briefly grounding it.

The drone ripped a 3-by-6-inch (8-by-15cm) hole in the plane.

Officials have also warned of scammers seeking to take advantage of victims, and issued a stern warning that anyone caught price gouging will be prosecuted.

Meanwhile the spat between California Governor Newsom and President-elect Donald Trump continues.

Trump, who takes office on 20 January and has been invited by the governor to come tour the fire damage, on Saturday blamed “incompetent” politicians for “one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country”.

Newsom, who is a Democrat, has in turn attacked Trump for sharing “inexcusable” misinformation about the fires.

Apple’s board has called on investors to vote against a proposal to end its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes.

In comes after a conservative group, the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), called on the the technology giant to abolish its DEI policies, saying they expose firms to “litigation, reputational and financial risks”.

Apple’s directors say the NCPPR’s proposal was unnecessary because the company has appropriate checks and balances in place.

Other major US firms, including Meta and Amazon, have rolled back DEI programmes ahead of the return to the White House this month of Donald Trump, who has been highly critical of DEI policies.

“The proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program,” the firm’s filing to investors said.

Apple’s board also said the DEI rollback plan “inappropriately seeks to micromanage the Company’s programs and policies by suggesting a specific means of legal compliance.”

NCPPR’s proposal is set to be put to a vote by shareholders at Apple’s annual general meeting on 25 February.

Conservative groups have threatened to take legal action against major companies over their DEI programmes, saying such policies are at odds with a Supreme Court decision in 2023 against affirmative action at universities.

Last week, Facebook owner Meta became the latest US company to roll back its DEI initiatives, joining a growing list of major firms that includes Amazon, Walmart and McDonald’s.

In a memo to staff about the decision – which affects, hiring, supplier and training efforts – Meta cited a “shifting legal and policy landscape”.

It also referred to the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling.

Meta’s boss, Mark Zuckerberg, has been moving to reconcile with Trump since his election in November.

The firm has donated $1m (£820,000) to the President-elect’s inauguration fund, hired a Republican as his public affairs chief and announced it is getting rid of fact-checkers on Meta’s social media platforms.

Mr Zuckerberg is not alone among top executives making such moves in the face of mounting pressure from conservative groups.

Millions of people are expected to attend the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela – described as humanity’s biggest gathering – in northern India’s Prayagraj city on Monday.

The event – held once every 12 years – starts on Monday and over the next six weeks, the devout will bathe at Sangam – the confluence of India’s most sacred Ganges river with the Yamuna river and the mythical Saraswati.

Hindus believe that taking a dip in the sacred river will cleanse them of sins, purify their soul and liberate them from the cycle of birth and death – as the ultimate goal of Hinduism is salvation.

About 400 million pilgrims are expected to attend the 45-day spectacle, which is so large it can be seen from space.

On Monday, five to eight million worshippers are expected to bathe while the following day, numbers are expected to exceed 20 million.

Tuesday’s spectacle will be special as it will see ash-smeared naked Hindu holy men with matted dreadlocks, known as Naga sadhus, take a dip in the northern Indian city at dawn.

But authorities are racing against time to get the city ready to host millions who will continue to pour in throughout the festival.

To accommodate the pilgrims and tourists, a vast tent city, sread over 4,000 hectares, has been set up on the banks of the river.

But on Sunday, just hours before proceedings were due to begin, many parts of the sprawling grounds in Prayagraj still appeared to be a work in progress.

Some of the camps set up by saints and other worshippers had no water and intermittent power supplies.

Thousands of toilet cubicles were still yet to be set up and many already installed were unusable because of missing water connections.

Administration official Vivek Chaturvedi told the BBC that organisers were hampered by the fact that this year the monsoon waters took longer to recede which narrowed the window for construction activities.

But, he insisted, “preparations are almost complete and all systems will be in place to welcome the visitors”.

“We have laid 650km (403 miles) of temporary roads and set up tens of thousands of tents and toilets. More than 100,000 people, including over 40,000 police and security officials, are working round-the-clock to make it a success,” Mr Chaturvedi said.

The festival, which concludes on 26 February, has been recognised as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations agency Unesco.

Its origin is rooted in a mythological story about a fight between the gods and demons over a Kumbh (a pitcher) of nectar that emerged during the churning of the ocean.

As the two sides fought over the pot of elixir that promised them immortality, a few drops spilled over and fell in four cities – Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik.

As the fight went on for 12 celestial years – each equal to 12 years on Earth – Kumbh Mela festival is held every 12 years in the four cities. An ardh or a half Kumbh is organised halfway between two festivals.

The mela is organised in all the four cities, but the biggest festivals, where previous attendance records are broken, are always held in Prayagraj.

Hindu seer Mahant Ravindra Puri said the festival this time round was “extra special” and described it as “a Maha [great] Kumbh”.

“That’s because the current alignment of planets and stars is identical to what existed at the moment of the spill,” he told the BBC.

“Such perfection is being observed after 12 Kumbh festivals or 144 years,” he said.

For festival-goers, a major attraction is the presence of naked Naga sadhus, or ascetics, and it is a spectacle to watch as they hurl themselves into the icy waters.

But for the devout, it holds special significance – they believe that the waters get imbued with the purity of the saints’ thoughts and deeds.

Over the weekend, groups of holy men arrived at the mela grounds in large noisy processions.

One group of ash-smeared men, some naked and some dressed in just loin cloth or marigold garland draped around their necks, marched in holding tridents, swords and small two-headed drums.

Another group had its leaders on chariots escorted to their campsite in a large procession with a music band, dancers, horses and camels.

The bathing dates and auspicious times are decided by astrologers, based on the alignment of specific planets and constellations.

There are six particularly auspicious days to bathe this time:

• 13 January: Paush Purnima
• 14 January: Makar Sankranti
• 29 January: Mauni Amavasya
• 3 February: Basant Panchami
• 12 February: Magh Purnima
• 26 February: Maha Shivaratri

Three of these – 14 and 29 January, and 3 February – have been designated as Shahi Snan (or the royal bath) days when the Naga sadhus will bathe.

The largest gathering is expected on 29 January when 50 to 60 million worshippers are expected to take to the waters.

Away from the riverside, the city of Prayagraj has been decked up for the mega event.

Officials said about 200 roads had been widened and a fresh coat of paint had been applied to facades leading to Sangam, while walls have been decorated with colourful paintings and murals depicting stories from Hindu mythological texts.

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Tens of thousands of pilgrims, including many from foreign countries, have already reached the city.

Sebastian Diago, visiting as part of a 90-member group from Argentina, said he made the journey to “experience the devotion first hand”.

“I felt the pull of the Ganges so I came,” he said.

“I will bathe in the river because I feel the need to connect with the Ganges.”

• Area: 4,000 hectares
• 160,000 tents
• 40,000 police and security officials
• 15,000 sanitation workers
• 99 parking lots for over half a million vehicles
• 30 floating pontoon bridges over the river
• 67,000 street lights
• 150,000 toilets; 25,000 bins
• 200 water ATMs and 85 tube wells

The Indian government said it was spending 70bn rupees ($812m; £665m) on organising the festival and according to local media reports, the state government will earn a revenue of 250bn rupees ($2.9bn; £2.3bn).

Saints and leaders of big campsites said they understood the complexities of organising a festival on such a large scale, but some pilgrims complained about a lack of facilities.

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Baba Amarnathji, a 60-year-old saffron-robed monk, showed the BBC a small tent he had set up for himself with cloth and plastic sheets draped over three bamboo poles.

On earlier occasions, he said, he could sleep for free in tents set up by the administration, but this time there was no such facility.

“The police try to chase me away from here. But where will I go? Everyone says this festival is meant for sadhus like me, but I see that all the arrangements are being made for tourists.”

Landlords have been illegally raising prices due to the Los Angeles wildfires, says Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim.

The LA property mogul, who owns the luxury real estate brokerage at the centre of the Netflix reality show, said one client had been asked for thousands over the original asking price to rent a home – despite California’s anti “price gouging” laws.

It comes as LA officials warned anyone caught “taking advantage” of the disaster by scamming or burgling wildfire victims would be prosecuted.

Thousands of people have lost homes in LA and displaced victims say they are facing sky-high rental prices and hotel fees.

Oppenheim said his business, known for selling LA’s most expensive and glamorous homes, was offering its services for free and had received dozens of calls from people who had lost homes.

Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, he described sending a client to visit a property where the landlord had previously been asking for $13,000 per month in rent.

“[My client] offered $20,000 a month and he offered to pay six months upfront and the landlord said ‘I want $23,000’,” he said.

“There are price gouging laws in California, they’re just being ignored right now, and this isn’t the time to be taking advantage of situations.”

The 47-year-old added that the disaster had been “emotional for everyone”.

He said: “Everyone has tears in their eyes all day long, literally from the smoke but also just because it’s emotional to see people struggling like this.”

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California authorities have warned businesses against illegally hiking the price of items more than 10% above their pre-disaster cost.

On Saturday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta also said he had seen landlords raising prices illegally.

“You cannot do it. It is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail and fines,” he said.

“This is California law [and] it’s in place to protect those suffering from a tragedy.”

Retiree Brian, who wanted to be identified by only his first name, had lived in a rent-controlled apartment in the Pacific Palisades for two decades and lost his home in the fires.

The 69-year-old is afraid his pension will not allow him to find a new home in a city where rents have doubled over the last decade.

According to property listings site Zillow, the median rent for properties in LA is $2,800 (£2,295).

“I’m back on the market with tens of thousands of people,” Brian told AFP.

“That doesn’t bode well.”

Price gouging is just one example of the criminality that has emerged amid the disaster, which has killed at least 16 people.

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna warned those thinking of committing burglary or “white collar crime or a scam” that police and prosecutors were watching.

Meanwhile LA police chief Jim McDonnell said “people will go to all ends to be able to do what it is they want to do to exploit the victims of this tragedy”.

Mr McDonnell said there “are a lot of scams” and warned those who want to help to donate “with caution”.

He encouraged people to conduct careful research to find reputable organisations, recommending using resources such as Charity Navigator or the Better Business Bureau, and urged residents to report fraud.

“Together we can prevent further harm and protect the generosity of our community,” he said.

Meanwhile Mr Luna, the county sheriff, said there had so far been approximately 29 arrests amid the fires, including a man posing as a firefighter to burgle a home.

He said police were “eager to prosecute” anyone who had “taken advantage of our residents during this very difficult time” and specifically warned against “white collar” scams.

On Saturday, police in LA said the number of arrests for looting was “continuously growing”.

Yet despite the malfeasance of some, LA mayor Karen Bass said more than 13,000 people have donated over $6m (£4.9m) to California’s Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund since the fires began on Tuesday.

Standing at a lectern at Washington’s National Cathedral last Thursday, Joe Biden delivered the eulogy for former President Jimmy Carter while three other former presidents – Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama – and the once and future president, Donald Trump, looked on.

Each spectating president had achieved the validation of the American people (re-election to a second term) that has eluded Biden. And as Biden, whose term comes to an end next week, paid tribute to Carter, a fellow one-term president, it was hard not to draw other parallels too.

“Many think he was from a bygone era, but in reality, he saw well into the future,” Biden said of Carter. He went on to note Carter’s accomplishments in advancing civil rights, his work on peace and nuclear non-proliferation, and his efforts to protect the environment.

Earlier in the week, however, Biden was making the case for his own legacy and how history should judge him.

“I hope that history says that I came in and I had a plan how to restore the economy and reestablish America’s leadership in the world,” he said in a television interview. “And I hope it records that I did it with honesty and integrity; that I said what was on my mind.”

Whether that happens is subject to vigorous discussion – but he exits the White House with his approval ratings near their lowest mark of his presidency. Only 39% have a positive view, according to the latest Gallup survey, down from 57% at the start of his term.

Next week, the man he defeated in 2020 returns to power, marking what must feel to him like a dour end to a presidency.

Biden had his accomplishments – adroitly shepherding complex investment and infrastructure legislation through Congress despite narrow majorities, strengthening and expanding Nato, and appointing a remarkable number of diverse judges to the federal bench – but at least for now, that is overshadowed.

His current place in history is as the Democratic interregnum between the two Trump presidential terms. A blip, rather than a pivot.

“He’d like his legacy to be that he rescued us from Trump,” says author and Democratic strategist Susan Estrich. “But sadly, for him, his legacy is Trump again. He is the bridge from Trump One to Trump Two.”

It didn’t have to be this way. Biden and his team were buffeted by events – some within his control and some outside it. Many of the most damaging developments were entirely predictable, however – and, in fact, predicted – yet the president and his administration appeared to be caught flat-footed.

For that, they paid a high price.

Biden’s first misstep as president came half a world away, in the chaos that unfolded during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The exit had been negotiated during the final months of the Trump administration, but Biden backed it – despite warnings from some of his military advisors.

Those dire predictions proved prophetic, as Kabul descended into panic and unrest.

By the end of that month, Biden’s Gallup approval rating had dipped below 50% for the first time – a mark it would never again reach.

On the domestic front, the situation for the president was equally inauspicious. By summer, US inflation had surpassed 5% for the first time in 30 years.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that she believed the spike was “transitory”. Biden called it “temporary”. Some outside the administration, most notably Obama’s Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, thought otherwise.

By the time inflation reached its peak a year later, at 9.1% in June 2022, Yellen and Biden had admitted they miscalculated.

Americans did not forget or forgive, however. And although the monthly inflation numbers had dropped below 3% by summer 2024, unemployment remained low, economic growth was steady and the US had outperformed the world’s other industrialised nations, voters continued to have a pessimistic view of the economy.

Other issues followed this pattern: The Biden administration was slow to respond to the post-Covid spike in undocumented migration at the US-Mexico border.

And it was seemingly caught off-guard by the disruptive impact the Republican-backed programme of relocating migrants to Democratic-run northern cities would have on government services far from the border.

Shortages in Covid tests and infant formula, a dramatic increase in the price of eggs, the end of Roe v Wade abortion protections, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza – for every seemingly unanticipated fire the Biden administration addressed, two new ones would emerge.

The challenges were, in fact, daunting – ones that felled incumbent leaders in democracies around the world.

But for Biden and the Democrats, hoping to prove that they were a competent and effective counterpoint not just to Trump but to global authoritarian regimes, the stakes were high.

Amid all of this, responses from the administration were sometimes glaringly off-key. When asked during a television interview about raising oil production in America to reduce gas prices, in November 2021, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm responded with a laugh.

“That is hilarious,” she said. “Would that I had the magic wand.”

Biden – once regarded as a gifted communicator and orator – appeared less able to connect with the American people. Signs of his advancing years were also showing.

“Watching Biden speak, I’m like, oh my God, this is a different person,” said a senior White House official who served in the early years of the Biden administration and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“Maybe it’s simply that when you’re there every day, you don’t see it.”

A report by Robert Hur, a special counsel appointed to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents, referred to the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory”, setting off a round of hand-wringing among Democrats.

Biden’s interactions with the media were curtailed, and his public appearances tightly scripted. His verbal miscues and stumbles became fodder for Republican attacks. But Biden pressed on, determined to seek and win a second term in office.

During his presidency, Biden surrounded himself with veterans of government service. His secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had been one of his top foreign policy advisors since his days in the Senate. Merrick Garland, a distinguished appellate court judge and Barack Obama’s ill-fated 2016 pick for the Supreme Court, was tabbed for attorney general. Yellen, his pick for treasury, had previously chaired the Federal Reserve.

Within the White House, Biden chose Ron Klain – who had worked in Democratic presidential administrations for decades – as his chief of staff. Mike Donilon, another Biden veteran, served as a senior advisor.

The team was particularly successful at managing the narrow majorities in the House and the Senate, notching early legislative victories even in the face of unified Republican resistance and reluctance from centrists in his own party.

Biden’s “American Rescue Plan”, which passed just two months after he took office, included nearly $2 trillion in new government spending. It expanded healthcare subsidies, and funded the distribution of Covid vaccines and a payment programme that cut child poverty in half, to 5%.

Later that year, Democrats and some Republicans joined to pass an infrastructure investment bill, which included $1tn in new spending on transportation, clean energy, water, broadband and other construction programmes.

Others followed, marking a legislative agenda that few first-term presidents in the modern era could match – but it came with what some critics see as a fatal flaw.

Brent Cebul, an associate professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that Biden’s efforts were too focused on shifting policies that take years to translate into economic benefits for average American workers.

“I think that the time horizon associated with those big pieces of legislation was way out of sync with the exigencies of the presidential election,” he said.

Biden would have been better served finding ways to bring the tangible benefits to voters more quickly – a sentiment Biden himself expressed during a recent newspaper interview.

His team also proved less able when success was measured not in laws enacted but in the daily messaging battle against a political opposition that was growing increasingly assertive.

A senior Biden official said that the White House team was more decisive early on in his presidency.

“As things started to become a grind and you lose that sense of getting big things done, it can give way to infighting and frustration,” they admitted, adding that it was their sense that the circle around Biden became more insular as the pressure built.

After a two-year respite, his political opponents launched investigations, held hearings (into the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden family’s business dealings and more) and, in September 2023, formally initiated a presidential impeachment inquiry. All the while, Biden’s public approval languished in the low 40s.

Biden’s presidency should be seen in two halves, says Mr Cebul. The first was more accomplished. The second was less focused.

“Biden’s sense that the US was macro-economically doing quite well led him and his advisors to take their eyes off the ball when many, many Americans were still very much hurting.”

On 25 April, 2023, Biden made his presidential bid official in a campaign video warning that Trump “extremists” were threatening America.

Over the following months, there would be more warnings of the danger Trump posed to American democracy. He would tout his economic plan – embracing the label “Bidenomics” – and point to how inflation was dropping while the economy was still growing.

I travelled with Biden on a June 2023 trip to Chicago, where he held a reception for deep-pocketed donors and gave a speech on the economy in an historic downtown post office.

“Bidenomics is about the future,” he said.”Bidenomics is just another way of saying: Restore the American dream.”

Mr Cebul believes that was a bad move.

“For him to then spend most of the spring and the early summer basically talking about how he’s the most successful economic president in modern history, it was just so discordant,” he said.

“Not only was the message out of sync, he was also just a terrible messenger.”

In Chicago, as in many of his speeches, Biden’s delivery was at times halting. His words sometimes mumbled and his syntax mangled.

Through it all, however, Biden was telling aides that he believed he was the man best positioned to defeat Trump – that he had done it once, and he would do it again. And those aides vigorously pushed back whenever anyone questioned Biden’s abilities.

“I’m not a young guy, that’s no secret,” Biden said in a campaign advert. “But here’s the deal: I understand how to get things done for the American people.”

In the autumn, Biden confronted yet another crisis – following the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, he quickly cautioned Israel not to overreact or overreach in its response to the bloodshed.

As with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the president turned his attention to world affairs. But unlike Ukraine, during which Biden assembled a unified western coalition against the invasion, the continued US support of Israel eroded enthusiasm and support for Biden in some quarters at home.

At the same time, Biden was confronting his son Hunter’s growing legal troubles – a June trial and conviction on gun charges and, perhaps more concerning for the president, an indictment on tax-related violations that involved Hunter’s foreign business dealings.

The airing of family discord and pain was, at the very least, a distraction and an emotional drain on the president. His ultimate decision to pardon his son, made after November’s election, was condemned by many, including some allies.

Ultimately, Biden’s presidential bid – and his presidency – came crashing down in late June on a stage in Atlanta during a debate with Trump. His confused and at times incomprehensible performance dealt his campaign a mortal blow that seemingly confirmed Republican attacks – and Democratic fears – about his advancing age.

But eventually, after Trump defiantly responded to a failed assassination attempt and held a boisterous, unified national party convention in mid-July, Biden dropped out of the race.

Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris, Biden’s hand-picked successor, ensured that the final electoral judgement on Biden’s half-century political career would be one of rejection and defeat.

What would Biden’s legacy have been if he had simply stepped aside – “passed the torch” in his words – without seeking a second term? No video campaign launch. No grasping for campaign messages or Trump debate disaster. Instead, a robust race for the Democratic nomination with Biden floating above it all.

“We should have had primaries,” argues Ms Estrich. “His successor would have had time to make the case.”

In the end, Biden’s age and Trump’s enduring appeal were the fires that his administration could never put out, and the ones that ultimately consumed his presidency.

In exactly one week, Trump will take the oath of office and will likely set about dismantling much of what Biden accomplished over the past four years. How effective he is at doing this will go a long way towards determining Biden’s lasting legacy.

A few weeks ago, I asked Attorney General Garland how he thought history would judge Biden and this administration.

“I’ll leave that to the historians,” he replied.

That, in the end, is all Biden has left.

Malala Yousafzai has urged Muslim leaders to challenge the Taliban government in Afghanistan and its repressive policies for girls and women.

“Simply put, the Taliban in Afghanistan do not see women as human beings,” she told an international summit hosted by Pakistan on girls education in Islamic countries.

Ms Yousafzai told Muslim leaders there was “nothing Islamic” about the Taliban’s policies which include preventing girls and women from accessing education and work.

The 27-year-old was evacuated from Pakistan at 15 after being shot in the head by a Pakistan Taliban gunman who targeted her for speaking out about girls’ education.

• Malala: I never imagined women’s rights would be lost so easily
• ‘Don’t forget us’: Teenage refugee reminds Gen Z of silenced Afghan girls

Addressing the conference in Islamabad on Sunday, the Nobel Peace Prize winner said she was “overwhelmed and happy” to be back in her home country. She has only returned to Pakistan a handful of times since the 2012 attack, after making her first return in 2018.

On Sunday, she said the Taliban government had again created “a system of gender apartheid”.

The Taliban were “punishing women and girls who dare to break their obscure laws by beating them up, detaining them and harming them”, she said.

She added that the government “cloak their crimes in cultural and religious justification” but actually “go against everything our faith stands for”.

The Taliban government declined to respond to a BBC request for comment on the advocate’s remarks. They have previously said they respect women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Afghan culture and Islamic law.

The Taliban government leaders were invited to the summit run by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Pakistan government and the Muslim World League, but did not attend.

Conference attendees included dozens of ministers and scholars from Muslim-majority countries who advocated for girls’ education.

Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, its government has not been formally recognised by a single foreign government. Western powers have said their policies restricting women need to change.

Afghanistan is now the only country in the world where women and girls are prevented from accessing secondary and higher education – some one and a half million have been deliberately deprived of schooling.

“Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are completely banned from education beyond grade six,” said Ms Yousafzai on Sunday.

The Taliban has repeatedly promised they would be re-admitted to school once a number of issues were resolved – including ensuring the curriculum was “Islamic”. This has yet to happen.

In December, women were also banned from training as midwives and nurses, effectively closing off their last route to further education in the country.

Ms Yousafzai said girls education was at risk in multiple countries. She said in Gaza, Israel had “decimated the entire education system”.

She urged those present “call out the worst violations” of girls’ right to education and pointed out that crises in countries including Afghanistan, Yemen and Sudan meant “the entire future of girls is stolen”.

The sun is rising over the ice-covered mountains of Nuuk fjord and we are travelling along one of the world’s last wild frontiers.

But there are shadows gathering here and across the rest of the frozen spaces of Greenland.

With Donald Trump about to become president of the United States, his refusal to rule out taking Greenland by force is reverberating through conversations across the island.

“He’s welcome to come visit for sure,” says the skipper of the converted fishing boat taking us east. Conscious that he needs to do business with people of all political hues, he asked not to be named, but used a phrase I hear repeatedly here.

“Greenland belongs to Greenlanders. So, Trump can visit but that’s it.”

The waters are flat calm as we pull into the isolated settlement of Kapisillit – population about 40 – where a few hunters are setting out to shoot seals.

It’s -16C (3F), and with wind chill effect feels more like -27C.

But near the harbour I meet a local church elder, Kaaleeraq Ringsted, 73, a great-grandfather, who is out drying fillets of cod caught in the fish-rich waters beside his front door.

When I ask about President-elect Trump buying or invading Greenland, he chuckles at first. Then his tone becomes serious.

“It is not acceptable that he says this. Greenland is not for sale.”

Then he tells me how he learned to fish and hunt here with his father and grandfather, and how he wants to preserve this life for his children and grandchildren.

Crossing the bay, the boat nosed through the broken surface ice. Two eagles perched on a rock, scanning for fish in the clear waters.

We were heading to the farm of Angutimmarik Hansen who keeps sheep as well as hunting seals, wildfowl and rabbits.

All of his winter feed for the sheep needs to be imported from Denmark, a reminder of how a harsh climate defines the possibilities of life here.

Inside his front door is a rack of hunting rifles. He notices me looking at them.

“Those are in case there’s an invasion,” he jokes.

But his attitude to the bellicose rhetoric from Mar-A-Lago is far from relaxed.

“What a stupid person in the world like Trump,” he says. “Never will we sell Greenland.”

This little farm is about 3,000 miles (4,828km) from Florida where the incoming US president gave his now infamous press conference last week.

“But Trump is not the USA. We can work with the people of the USA,” Mr Hansen says.

The Trump effect went into overdrive with the arrival in Greenland of Donald Trump Jr, hot on the heels of his father’s pronouncements. He flew into the capital Nuuk on the family’s 757 jet – Trump Force One – and stayed for four hours and thirty-three minutes, meeting some locals and offering only polite remarks.

“It’s been incredibly nice to meet people, and people were very happy to meet with us,” he said, after lunch at a local hotel. “Dad will have to come here.”

Then it was back to the sunnier climes of Florida.

Trump Jr was welcomed by local businessman Jorgen Boassen, who once campaigned for the president-elect.

He told local media that he was Trump’s “biggest fan” and that “of course they are interested in our country, and they are welcome to come and see what our country is like. It is also about opening up for trade and cooperation.”

The city of Nuuk is the world’s most northerly capital. It has a thriving civil society and a robust press. And there is some satisfaction here that the Trump comments have propelled the debate about Greenland’s independence onto the international stage.

There must be a Greenland that is nobody’s colony, say campaigners like Kuno Fencker, an MP with the governing coalition and member of the local parliament’s Foreign and Security Committee.

We meet by the harbour, under the bronze statue of Hans Egede, the 18th century missionary widely seen here as the man who opened the way to colonisation.

“Donald Trump is a politician,” says Mr Fencker.

“He’s a hard businessman, and we know his rhetoric, and that rhetoric is something we have gotten used to since 2019, and it’s just a matter of talking to a peer, an ally, on how we can solve things here in the Arctic and also in Nato.”

Mr Fencker offers the central argument of pro-independence campaigners.

“What is necessary here is that Greenland as a sovereign state should negotiate directly with the United States and not Denmark doing that for us.”

Independence from Denmark could come at a significant financial cost.

Greenland receives subsidies from Copenhagen worth roughly a fifth of its GDP every year. Mr Fencker suggests, as have other leading figures here, that the island would negotiate with America and Denmark for support.

“We are not naïve in regard to that. We need support in defence, security, and also economic development. We want a sustainable and self-sufficient economy.”

The editor of the local newspaper Sermitsiaq, Maasana Egede, admits he was worried by the implied threat of force from Donald Trump, but wants to see how reality matches the rhetoric.

As for independence, Mr Egede has been frustrated by what he sees as a polarised debate in the media – local and international.

“We are very much telling this story that it has to be about independence or not independence. But there’s all of this story that is in between, that people want independence, but not at any cost. There’s a living standard that has to be maintained. There’s trade that has to be maintained. There are living ways that have to be maintained.”

There is an expectation that at some point – not in the immediate future – there will be a vote in favour and Denmark will accept the result.

The island’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, addressed a joint press conference with the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, in the wake of the latest Donald Trump comments.

“We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American, we want to be Greenlandic,” he said. The Danish PM took care not to offend anybody, least of all the incoming US president.

“The debate on Greenlandic independence and the latest announcements from the US show us the large interest in Greenland,” she said. “Events which set in motion a lot of thoughts and feelings with many in Greenland and Denmark.”

Ms Frederiksen knows well how deep feelings run in Greenland. Memories of injustice and racism remain fresh here among the indigenous Inuit people.

Scandals like the campaign to insert IUDs (Intrauterine devices) to prevent pregnancies in thousands of Inuit women and girls in the 1960s and 70s, haunt the relationship between Greenland and Denmark.

It’s not known how many of these procedures were carried out without the permission of those involved, but the numbers are considerable. The aim was to reduce the Greenlandic population.

Maliina Abelsen is a former finance minister in Greenland’s government, and now a consultant for companies and organisations working on the island. She’s also worked for UNICEF Denmark and leading Greenland businesses, like the seafood group, Royal Greenland.

Ms Abelsen believes far more needs to be done to address the injustices of the past.

“I think a lot of people are saying, maybe also the Danish government and state have said, ‘Oh well, you know this happened in the past. This is so many years ago. How are we going to be responsible for that? It’s time to move on.’

“But you cannot move on if you have not been healed, and if you have not been acknowledged to what happened to you. That is a job that we have to do together with Denmark, not something Greenland can do on its own.”

And despite her own high profile in civil society and business, Maliina Abelsen says that when it comes to racism – for example jokes about Inuit people – she “can speak for most Greenlanders, that we have all experienced that in our life”.

The issues of self-determination and facing the past are intimately intertwined.

Now the intervention of Donald Trump has placed both before the eyes of the world.

But the message we heard – from the remote settlements on the fjord to the capital city Nuuk – is that Greenland’s destiny must be decided here, among people whose voices have been too long overlooked.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is willing to hand over the two captured North Korean soldiers back to Pyongyang in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia.

“For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available,” Zelensky said on X. Those who want “to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean will be given that opportunity”, he added.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said one of the two soldiers told officials he thought he was going to Russia for “training”, rather than to fight.

He was found with a Russian military ID card issued in the name of another person. The other soldier had no documents.

SBU said the two men, who were taken prisoner on 9 Jan, are in Kyiv and receiving medical care.

They only speak Korean and are being questioned with the assistance of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, SBU said.

Russia has not denied using North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin said in October that it was his country’s “sovereign decision” whether or not to deploy such troops.

On Saturday, Zelensky posted photographs of the two captured soldiers, showing one of them with his head and chin in bandage, while the other had both his hands fully wrapped up.

Zelensky also shared a photo of a red Russian military ID card that gives the place of birth as Turan, in the Russian republic of Tuva, which shares a border with Mongolia.

SBU said that the soldier found with the ID card told interrogators he had been issued the document during the autumn of 2024, in Russia.

According to SBU, he also said that some of North Korea’s combat units had undergone a one-week training at the time.

“It is noteworthy that the prisoner…emphasises that he was allegedly going for training, not to fight a war against Ukraine,” the SBU statement said.

Zelensky’s office said in a statement on Saturday that the Russians “are trying to hide the fact that these are soldiers from North Korea by giving them documents claiming they are from Tuva or other territories under Moscow’s control”.

The intelligence service reported that the soldier carrying the ID card said he was born in 2005 and had been serving North Korea as a rifleman since 2021.

The second prisoner is reported to have given some of his answers in writing because he had an injured jaw, according to SBU.

SBU said it believed he was born in 1999 and had been serving North Korea as a scout sniper since 2016.

The Geneva Convention states that the questioning of prisoners should be carried out in a language they understand and prisoners must be protected against public curiosity.

BBC News and other international media have not yet verified Ukraine’s account of the prisoners and their capture.

Ukraine and South Korea reported late last year that North Korea had sent at least 10,000 troops to Russia.

The White House said North Korean forces were experiencing mass casualties.

In December, South Korea’s intelligence agency reported that a North Korean soldier believed to have been the first to be captured while supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine had died after being taken alive by Ukrainian forces.

Zelensky said on Sunday “there should be no doubt left that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea”.

The Austrian foreign ministry says a female citizen has been taken by unknown assailants in the military-ran West African country, Niger.

It confirmed the incident to AFP and said they were aware of the “possible kidnapping of an Austrian woman” in Agadez which is 900 km (559 miles) from the capital Niamey.

The woman was reportedly forced into a 4×4 vehicle by unidentified individuals in Fada district, Agadez, on the edge of the Sahara Desert, reported Reuters news agency.

The victim, named Eva Gretzmacher, is a development worker in her mid-70’s and had lived in Niger for over two decades, according to local media site, Air Info Agadez.

Niger has not yet commented on the incident.

Air Info reported kidnappers showed up at Ms Gretzmacher’s house with a gun and forced their way in. They did not take anything else, reports said.

Ms Gretzmacher is said to have run projects in the areas of education, health, women’s empowerment and culture.

The Austrian foreign ministry said they are working with the EU delegation and authorities on the ground.

Niger has been battling an Islamist insurgency for years.

The military junta is under pressure for failing to curb militant attacks, one of its justifications for deposing democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.

Niger, along with its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, is grappling with attacks from groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Since the coup, Niger has urged France and other Western powers to withdraw their military bases and formed a security alliance with junta-led neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso.

• Why does France have military bases in Africa?
• How a uranium mine became a pawn in the row between Niger and France
• Why young Africans are celebrating military takeovers

It looked like an ordinary murder.

One hundred years ago on this day – 12 January 1925 – a group of men attacked a couple on a car ride in a upmarket suburb in Bombay (now Mumbai) in colonial India, shooting the man dead and slashing the woman’s face.

But the story that unfolded brought global spotlight on the case, while its complexity put the country’s then British rulers in a spot of bother, and eventually forced an Indian king to abdicate.

Newspapers and magazines described the murder as “perhaps the most sensational crime committed in British India”, and it became “the talk of the city” during the investigation and subsequent trial.

The victim, Abdul Kadir Bawla, 25, was an influential textile businessman and the city’s youngest municipal official. His female companion, Mumtaz Begum, 22, was a courtesan on the run from the harem of a princely state and had been staying with Bawla for the last few months.

On the evening of the murder, Bawla and Mumtaz Begum were in the car with three others, driving in Malabar Hill, an affluent area along the shore of the Arabian Sea. Cars were a rarity in India at the time, and only the rich owned them.

Suddenly, another car overtook them. Before they could react, it collided with theirs, forcing them to stop, according to intelligence and newspaper reports.

The attackers showered expletives on Bawla and shouted “get the lady out”, Mumtaz Begum later told the Bombay High Court.

They then shot Bawla, who died a few hours later.

A group of British soldiers, who had inadvertently taken a wrong turn on their way back from a golf game, heard the gunshots and rushed to the scene.

They managed to catch one of the culprits, but one officer suffered gunshot wounds when an attacker opened fire at them.

Before fleeing, the remaining attackers made two attempts to snatch the injured Mumtaz Begum from the British officers, who were trying to rush her to the hospital.

The newspapers suggested that attackers’ aim was likely abducting Mumtaz Begum, as Bawla – whom she had met while performing in Mumbai a few months earlier and had been living with since – had earlier received several threats for sheltering her.

The Illustrated Weekly of India promised readers exclusive photographs of Mumtaz Begum, while the police planned to issue a daily bulletin to the press, Marathi newspaper Navakal reported.

Even Bollywood found the case compelling enough to adapt it into a silent murder thriller within months.

“The case went beyond the usual murder mystery as it involved a rich and young tycoon, a slighted king, and a beautiful woman,” says Dhaval Kulkarni, author of The Bawla Murder Case: Love, Lust and Crime in Colonial India.

The attackers’ footprints, as speculated in the media, led investigators to the influential princely state of Indore, which was a British ally. Mumtaz Begum, a Muslim, had lived in the harem of its Hindu king, Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar III.

Mumtaz Begum was famed for her beauty. “In her own class, it was said, Mumtaz was without a peer,” KL Gauba wrote in his 1945 book, Famous Trials for Love and Murder.

But the Maharaja’s (king’s) attempts to control her – preventing her from seeing her family alone and keeping her under constant surveillance – soured their relationship, says Kulkarni.

“I was kept under surveillance. I was allowed to see visitors and my relations but somebody always accompanied me,” Mumtaz Begum testified in the court.

In Indore, she gave birth to a baby girl, who died soon after.

“After my child was born, I was unwilling to stay at Indore. I was unwilling because the nurses killed the female child that was born,” Mumtaz Begum told the court.

Within months, she escaped to the northern Indian city of Amritsar, her mother’s place of birth, but troubles followed.

She was watched there too. Mumtaz Begum’s stepfather told the court that the Maharaja wept and begged her to return. But she refused and moved to Bombay, where the surveillance continued.

The trial confirmed what media had speculated following the murder: representatives of the Maharaja had indeed threatened Bawla with dire consequences if he continued to shelter Mumtaz Begum, but he had ignored the warnings.

Following a lead given by Shafi Ahmed, the only attacker captured at the scene, the Bombay police arrested seven men from Indore.

The investigation revealed links to the Maharaja that were hard to ignore. Most of the arrested men were employed by the Indore princely state, had applied for leave around the same time and were in Bombay at the time of the crime.

The murder put the British government in a tough spot. Though it happened in Bombay, the investigation clearly showed the plot was planned in Indore, which had strong ties to the British.

Terming it “the most awkward affair” for the British government, The New Statesman wrote that if it were a minor state, “there would be no particular cause for anxiety”.

“But Indore has been a powerful feudatory of the Raj,” it said.

The British government initially tried to keep mum about the murder’s Indore connection in public. But in private, it discussed the issue with much alarm, communication between the governments of Bombay and British India shows.

Bombay police commissioner Patrick Kelly told the British government that all evidence “points at present to a conspiracy hatched in Indore or by instigation from Indore to abduct Mumtaj [sic] through hired desperadoes”.

The government faced pressure from different sides. Bawla’s community of wealthy Memons, a Muslim community with roots in modern-day Gujarat, raised the issue with the government. His fellow municipal officials mourned his death, saying, “there surely must be something more behind the scene”.

Indian lawmakers demanded answers in the upper house of British India’s legislature and the case was even discussed in the British House of Commons.

Rohidas Narayan Dusar, a former police officer, writes in his book on the murder that the investigators were under pressure to go slow, but that then police commissioner Kelly threatened to resign.

The case drew top lawyers for both the defence and the prosecution when it reached the Bombay High Court.

One of them was Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who would later become the founding father of Pakistan after India’s partition in 1947. Jinnah defended Anandrao Gangaram Phanse, one of the accused and a top general with the Indore army. Jinnah managed to save his client from the death penalty.

The court sentenced three men to death and three to life imprisonment, but it stopped short of holding the Maharaja accountable.

Justice LC Crump, who led the trial, noted, however, that “there were persons behind them [assailants] whom we cannot precisely indicate”.

“But where an attempt is made to kidnap a woman, who was for 10 years the mistress of the Maharaja of Indore, it is not in the least unreasonable to look to Indore as the quarter from which this attack may have emanated,” the judge remarked.

The case’s prominence meant the British government had to act quickly against the Maharaja. They gave him a choice: face a commission of inquiry or abdicate, according to documents presented to parliament in India.

The Maharaja chose to quit.

“I abdicate my throne in favour of my son on the understanding that no further inquiry into my alleged connection with the Malabar Hill Tragedy will be made,” he wrote to the British government.

After abdicating, the Maharaja stirred more controversy by insisting on marrying an American woman against the will of his family and community. Eventually, she converted to Hinduism and they wed, according to a British home department report.

Meanwhile, Mumtaz Begum received offers from Hollywood and later moved to the US to try her luck there. She faded into obscurity after that.

The Duchess of Sussex’s new Netflix show has been postponed until March due to the Los Angeles wildfires, the streaming giant has announced.

The lifestyle series, which was filmed in southern California, had been due to premiere on Wednesday.

Netflix said it had offered its “full support” to Meghan’s request to delay the release.

Wildfires have raged through the California city since Tuesday, killing at least 16 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes.

In a statement, Netflix described the upcoming programme as a “heartfelt tribute to the beauty of Southern California”, adding that it was moving the premier of With Love, Meghan over the “ongoing devastation” caused by the fires.

“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” the duchess said.

The programme filmed in the southern California town of Montecito, will now air on 4 March, Netflix said.

With Love, Meghan includes eight 30-minute episodes featuring appearances from celebrities such as actress Mindy Kaling and former Suits star Abigail Spencer.

In the trailer released earlier this month, Meghan garnishes a cake with raspberries and harvests honey in California, where she lives with her husband Prince Harry and two children.

On Friday, Prince Harry and Meghan were seen hugging residents in the devastated area of Pasadena in the wake of the worst wildfires LA has ever seen.

Professional chef Daron Anderson always tells people he was “born in the kitchen” – quite literally.

The 45-year-old was delivered by homebirth at 295 West Las Flores Drive, where he lived with his mother until this week.

On Thursday, he stepped over charred debris where his kitchen once stood in Altadena, a tight-knit neighbourhood of north-eastern Los Angeles.

He was looking for his cast-iron pans in the hope they might have survived the blaze, one of several historic fires burning in the area that have killed at least 16 people and decimated multiple communities and left thousands homeless.

Across the street – at number 296 – his friend Rachel’s house also sits in ashes. The house next door – 281 – where he’d enjoyed family parties, is gone.

About three blocks away, on Devirian Place, where his girlfriend lived, some neighbours tried to fend off the roaring flames that would consume their homes with garden hoses.

Now they, too, are searching for treasured items in the rubble, after fire obliterated this entire community nestled in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains.

It all started on Tuesday night.

The Santa Ana winds had been fierce much of the day.

Daron was in his front yard just after 18:00 local time trying to secure items from flying away.

Across the street at 296 West Las Flores Drive, Rachel was taking down Christmas decorations, concerned about her plastic icicles and patio furniture blowing away.

They exchanged worried glances. “This doesn’t look good, does it?” she remarked.

At the time, it was only wind that concerned them.

They had no idea that one of the two worst wildfires in LA history had just ignited a few miles away, part of a days-long nightmare that at its peak would see six blazes simultaneously threatening America’s second-largest city

The Eaton fire that tore through Altadena has now ravaged more than 14,000 acres, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, and left 11 dead. By the weekend, Eaton remained only 15% contained.

In west LA, the Palisades fire, which had started that morning, would go on to burn through more than 23,000 acres, reducing much of a vibrant community to ash, and killing at least five people.

Daron’s next-door neighbour at house 281, Dillon Akers, was at work at a donut stand in the Topanga mall – about 40 miles away – as smoke started filling their neighbourhood.

The 20-year-old rushed back when he heard the news, only to find his corner of north-west Altadena pitch black and members of his family frantically evacuating their home.

His uncle leapt over their white picket fence to save precious seconds as he stuffed items into the back of his car.

For the next two hours, Dillon did the same, gathering food, medicine, clothes and toiletries. In the rush, he mislaid his keys, and lost 30 minutes searching in the smoky dark with torches until he found them blown against a fence.

During the desperate search, he kept telling himself that local authorities would be able to handle the fire that was roaring down the mountain towards the home he shared with his mother, grandmother, aunt and two younger cousins.

Dillon had faced windstorms before, and had seen smoke in the mountains, but this time felt different. This time the orange glow in the sky was directly overhead.

“I was fully at a 10 on the scale of scared,” he said.

At 00:30 Wednesday, Dillon said that he and his mother were the last people to leave West Las Flores Drive. They may have been the last to get out alive.

The following day authorities would announce that the remains of a neighbour down the road had been discovered.

Rachel and Daron had left the neighbourhood about two hours before Dillon. Rachel was forced out by a friend who drove over to demand: “You’ve got to leave now.”

Rachel – with her wife, toddler, five cats, and two days of clothing – said goodbye to the home they had bought just one year earlier.

Daron also grabbed what he could: a guitar he purchased when he was 14 with money he earned working as an extra in a karate film and a painting of his family crossing Abbey Road in London, made to look like the cover of the iconic Beatles album.

As those on Las Flores Drive evacuated, Daron’s neighbours a few blocks away tried to fight the flames.

At 417 Devirian Place, Hipolito Cisneros and his close friend and neighbour Larry Villescas, who lived across the street at home number 416, grabbed garden hoses.

The scene outside looked hellish.

The garage of one home was in flames. A car in front of another, too.

They stretched hoses out from multiple homes and doused the structures with water – including the house of Daron’s girlfriend, Sachi.

“The water was just repelling off. It wasn’t even penetrating or nothing,” Hipolito said, referring to the bone-dry earth and brush around the homes.

Over time, they made progress, hosing off embers and spot fires. Larry thought they might be winning.

Then their hoses ran dry – all due to water pressure issues they’d later learn had hampered firefighting efforts across Los Angeles County amid intense demand.

An explosion sounded nearby, another home bursting into flames. By 01:00, both of their families were packing to leave.

“We tried. We really tried,” Hipolito said.

By 02:30 Wednesday morning, police cars rolled down their street with a loudspeaker, telling everyone to leave immediately.

As he turned the corner of his street, Larry watched in his truck’s rear-view mirror as his garage caught fire.

By 03:00, the street was empty.

Much of the Los Angeles region is made up of neighbourhoods and small communities just like Altadena.

On any given morning, people would walk through the lines of homes to get a cup of coffee at The Little Red Hen Coffee Shop, stopping to catch up while leaving for work in the morning.

Many have described decades of tight-knit community here, where they watched neighbours start families and the children who once played in the streets grow up.

But driving through the area for the first time since his world was upended, Daron barely recognises his neighbourhood.

The big blue house that marked one familiar turn is gone. All of the landmarks that once guided him have vanished. He points out each neighbour’s property, gasping as he realises that none are standing.

He takes photos of his and Rachel’s home and the street he shares with Dillon. Outside his girlfriend’s home – which Larry and Hipolito tried to save – he takes videos and chats with their families before calling Sachi to describe the state of her home.

“God, everything is gone,” he says, his voice cracking.

But a few items remain amidst the ruins.

At his sister’s home back on West Las Flores Drive, he finds multi-coloured plastic lawn ornaments stuck in her lawn, somehow untouched by fire.

He plucks each stake from the ground, knowing that while these flower decorations might feel insignificant amid the devastation, they also might make her smile.

Across the street at what was once his house, a red-brick chimney is all that is left standing. Around it is a pile of clay pottery.

With his hands dark black from the soot, he collects what he can, but many pieces disintegrate with his touch.

A scorched lemon tree sits in the lawn, some fruit still warm to the touch.

“If I can get a seed, we can replant one,” he says, grabbing a handful.

“It’s like a way you can start over.”

Firefighters are battling to control huge wildfires in Los Angeles that have killed at least 16 people, devoured thousands of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

It’s a rapidly changing situation – these maps and pictures show the scale of the challenge, where the fires are and the damage they have caused.

The largest blaze, in the Pacific Palisades area is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. More than 23,000 acres have now burnt.

Placing the area affected on to maps of New York and London gives a sense of how big that is, stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in the UK’s capital, or across large areas of lower Manhattan and Queens.

Three fires are currently burning in the Los Angeles area.

• Palisades fire: The largest active fire is burning between Santa Monica and Malibu. Burnt area: 23,707 acres.

• Eaton fire: Second largest fire burning north of Pasadena. Burnt area: 14,117 acres.

• Hurst fire: To the north east of the city. Burnt area: 799 acres. It’s 89% contained, according to LA officials.

But other six fires have been contained.

Kenneth fire: In the West Hills area, just north of the Palisades. It has been contained on Sunday afternoon, after burning through 1,052 acres since Thursday.

Lidia fire: Reported in the hills north of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 395 acres.

Archer fire: Small fire that started on Friday and burned through 19 acres.

Woodley fire: Small fire reported in local parkland. Burnt area: 30 acres.

Olivas fire: Small fire first reported in Ventura county about 50 miles (80km) east of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 11 acres.

Sunset fire: Reported in the historic Hollywood Hills area near many famous landmarks, including the Hollywood sign. Burnt area: 43 acres.

Officials say more than 10,000 structures have been destroyed by the two biggest fires – about 5,000 each in the Palisades and Eaton blazes.

As the maps below show, the fires are largely burning uninhabited areas but they have spread into populated areas and many more buildings could be at risk depending on how the infernos spread.

Among the buildings already destroyed in the Palisades blaze are many of the exclusive properties that line the Malibu waterfront.

Slide your cursor across the image below to see an aerial view of what the area used to look like and what it looks like now.

Both the Palisades and Eaton fires can be seen from space, as shown in the satellite image below.

A combination of an exceptionally dry period – downtown Los Angeles has only received 0.16 inches (0.4cm) of rain since October – and powerful offshore gusts known as the Santa Ana winds have created ripe conditions for wildfires.

Santa Ana winds flow east to west through southern California’s mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

Blowing across the deserts further inland, they create conditions where humidity drops, which dries out vegetation. If a fire does start, the winds can fan smouldering embers into an inferno in minutes.

The map below shows just how rapidly the Palisades fire spread, intensifying in a matter of hours. At just after 14:00 on Tuesday it covered 772 acres and within four hours it had approximately tripled in size.

The Palisades fire now covers almost 20,000 acres and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the area, as more than 1,400 firefighters try to tackle the blaze.

The Eaton fire has also grown rapidly from about 1,000 acres on Tuesday to more than 13,000 acres, forcing thousands more people to flee.

• Follow latest updates on the LA wildfires
• What’s the latest on the fires, and what caused them?
• Watch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA
• Timelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfire
• Watch: Inside a neighbourhood totally lost in inferno
• Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire

Photographers have also been capturing the heartbreaking level of damage the fires have caused on the ground – as these before-and-after photos demonstrate.

The Jewish Temple in Pasadena was destroyed by the Eaton fire. The Centre’s website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.

With authorities still working to contain the fires, the scope of the losses is still unfolding but they are on track to be among the costliest in US history, with losses already expected to exceed $135bn (£109.7bn).

There is a glimmer of hope for firefighters, as the fire weather outlook for southern California has been downgraded from “extremely critical” to “critical”.

But BBC weather forecaster Sarah Keith-Lucas says there is no rain forecast in the area for at least the next week, so conditions remain ripe for fire.

With fires still burning in Los Angeles after several days, some have been accusing politicians of mismanaging resources and making the fires worse.

President-elect Donald Trump has pointed a finger squarely at California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, who he said is responsible for LA’s struggling water supply.

A lack of water for firefighter’s hoses has been cited as one of the reasons the fires have burned so long.

Meanwhile, others have blamed LA Mayor Karen Bass for cutting the city’s fire department budget.

BBC Verify looked into the facts behind the political fallout.

In a social media post on Saturday evening, Trump blamed California’s leaders for the current situation.

“The fires are still raging in LA. The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. Thousands of magnificent houses are gone, and many more will soon be lost,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“They just can’t put out the fires,” he added. “What’s wrong with them?”

Earlier in the week, he criticised Governor Newsom for refusing to sign the “water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water” to put out the fires.

But the specific declaration he mentions doesn’t appear to exist. We’ve also searched for this document and been unable to find it.

Newsom has previously opposed efforts to redirect more water to southern California.

This includes a 2020 presidential memorandum in which Trump sought to divert water away from Northern California to farmland further south.

• Anger after fire evacuation alert sent in error to millions in LA
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Newsom opposed this at the time, saying he wanted to protect “highly imperilled fish species close to extinction”.

That is what Trump is referencing in his post blaming Newsom for the response to the wildfires, where he says the governor “wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish”, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt has confirmed.

In an interview with Pod Save America on Saturday, Newsom said Trump’s statements were “made up” and “delusional”.

California’s attorney general ultimately blocked the measure to redirect water to the south, citing potential harm to endangered species and saying that it was not scientifically justified.

Jeffrey Mount, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center, said: “The federal government does not deliver water from northern California to southern California.

“While efforts to save Delta smelt, along with salmon and steelhead trout, do reduce the amount of water that is moved from northern California by the state at certain times, it has no bearing on the current availability of water for fire-fighting.”

Although southern California is currently experiencing a drought, data shows its reservoirs are almost all currently above the historic average for this time of the year. None are at significantly low levels.

However, one large reservoir in Pacific Palisades, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, was closed for maintenance and empty when the fire broke out.

Officials from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) said that if the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been operational, it might have increased the supply of water, but that it’s unclear what the ultimate effect might have been.

On Friday, Newsom confirmed Trump’s claim that there had been no water for some fire hydrants, which hampered the emergency response.

Firefighters in Los Angeles have told the BBC they experienced shortages.

Newsom called for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to hydrants and “the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir”.

In a letter addressed to the heads of the LA Department of Water and Power and LA County Public Works, Newsom said that reports of inadequate water supplies were “deeply troubling” .

“Losing supplies from fire hydrants likely impaired the effort to protect some homes and evacuation corridors,” he wrote.

“We need answers to how that happened,” he continued, adding that he expects the agencies to “fully and transparently” share information and records for the state’s probe.

Adam Van Gerpen, a captain with the Los Angeles fire department, confirmed to the BBC that his crew, which has been tackling the Pacific Palisades blaze, and other crews battling other wildfires, ran out of water, forcing them to “improvise”.

As of 08:30 local time (16:30 GMT) on Sunday, Cal Fire data showed firefighters had fully contained one of the remaining fires, the Kenneth fire, and made significant progress with another, known as the Hurst fire. However, the containment of the largest fire in Palisades remained at 11%, while the Eaton fire was 27% contained.

LA Mayor Karen Bass has faced criticism over cuts to the city’s fire department budget.

For the latest financial year, the LA Fire Department (LAFD) budget was reduced by $17.6m (£14.3m).

LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told CNN that the budget cut had “severely” affected the department’s ability to respond to the disaster.

She said the department was already under-staffed and the elimination of civilian positions, like mechanics, had meant that 100 fire apparatuses were out of service.

Mayor Bass responded to the criticism, saying: “There were no reductions that were made that would have impacted the situation that we were dealing with over the last couple of days.”

According to the LA Times, after the 2024-25 budget was passed, the city council approved $53m in pay raises for firefighters and $58m for new kit, such as firetrucks.

Once that funding is taken into account, the fire department’s operating budget technically grew this year, according to the newspaper.

The LAFD has an overall budget of approaching $1bn, and it isn’t the only department responding to the fires.

For example, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Los Angeles County Fire Department are part of the relief efforts, along with the federal government.

What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

It was late at night, and Darim’s animation studio had just finished designing a new look for a character in one of South Korea’s most popular video games, MapleStory.

Darim was proud of her work. So, sitting alone on the floor of her small studio apartment, she posted the trailer on social media. Almost immediately, she was flooded with thousands of abusive messages, including death and rape threats.

Young male gamers had taken issue with a single frame in the trailer, in which the female character could be seen holding her thumb and forefinger close together.

They thought it resembled a hand gesture used by a radical online feminist community almost a decade ago to poke fun at the size of Korean men’s penises.

“There were insults I’d never heard before, they were disgusting and inhumane,” said Darim, which is not her real name. One read: “You’ve just sabotaged your job.”

Messages then started piling into Darim’s studio and the game developer claiming she was a feminist and demanding she be fired. Within hours, the company pulled the promotional video.

Darim had become the latest victim in a series of vicious online witch hunts, in which men in South Korea attack women they suspect of having feminist views. They bombard them with abuse and try to get them sacked.

This is part of a growing backlash to feminism, in which feminists have been branded man-haters who deserve to be punished. The witch hunts are having a chilling effect on women, with many now scared to admit they are feminists.

This is forcing the movement underground, in a country where gender discrimination is still deeply entrenched. South Korea has the largest gender pay gap in the OECD, a group of the world’s rich countries.

The hunts are often spearheaded by young male video gamers, and target women who work in the industry, like Darim, though recently they have spread to other professions.

They look for anything that resembles what they term the ‘finger-pinching gesture’ and use it as proof that men-hating women are surreptitiously mocking them.

Once they spot a supposed sign, the hunt begins. “They decide that a dark, evil feminist is hiding in the company, and her life should be ruined,” explained Minsung Kim, a 22-year-old male gamer who, concerned by these witch hunts, set up an organisation to support the victims.

The witch hunters track down all female employees at the company in question, and trawl their social media accounts, searching for any evidence of feminism. Way back on Darim’s timeline, they found an ‘offending’ post.

Darim in fact had nothing to do with the disputed part of the animation, but her studio was rattled by the torrent of abuse – especially after Nexon, the gaming company, suddenly removed all the studio’s artwork from their roster and issued an apology to customers.

“My company and CEO were in a panic,” said Darim. “I thought I was going to be fired, and I’d never be able to work in animation again.”

Then Minsung’s organisation stepped in. They urged her studio to ignore the gamers and offered to pay Darim’s legal fees so she could report the abuse. “We said these demands will never end, you need to nip this in the bud now,” he said. The studio listened, and Darim kept her job.

But similar witch hunts have worked, in the gaming industry and beyond, and they are becoming more frequent. In one case, a young illustrator lost her job after a handful of disgruntled gamers stormed the company’s office demanding she be removed.

And it is not just Korean companies that have capitulated. Last year, the international car maker Renault suspended one of its female employees after she was accused of making the finger-pinching gesture while moving her hands in a promotional presentation.

“These anti-feminists are getting more organised; their playbook is getting more specific,” said Minsung. “By taking a hand gesture that everyone makes and turning it into a scarlet letter they can brand literally anyone an evil feminist,” he said.

Because the companies are folding to these baseless accusations, the instigators of these hunts have become emboldened, he said. “They are confident now that when you accuse someone of feminism, you can ruin their career.”

Minsung knows, because not long ago he was one of these men. He used to belong to the anti-feminist forums. “We are exposed to the uncensored internet unimaginably young,” he said, having joined the forums aged nine.

It was only when Minsung traded video games for playing real-life games, including Dungeons and Dragons, that he met women, and his views shifted. He became, in his words, an “ardent feminist”.

In South Korea, women commonly suffer discrimination and misogyny both at work and at home. But as they have fought to improve their rights, many young men have started to believe they are the ones being discriminated against.

The backlash began in the mid-2010s, following a surge of feminist activism. During this time, women took to the streets in protest at sexual violence and the widespread use of hidden cameras that secretly film women using toilets and changing rooms – around 5,000 to 6,000 cases are reported annually.

“Young men saw women becoming vocal and were threatened by their rise,” said Myungji Yang, a professor of sociology at the University of Hawai’i Manoa, who has interviewed dozens of young Korean men. “They learn about feminism from online forums, which carry the most radical caricature of feminists,” she said. “This has given them a distorted idea of what feminism is.”

One of their grievances is the 18-month military service men must complete. Once they leave the military they often “feel entitled” to a good job, said Hyun Mee Kim, a professor of cultural anthropology at Yonsei University in Seoul, who studies feminism.

As more women have entered the workforce, and jobs have become harder to get, some men feel their opportunities are being unfairly taken away.

These feelings have been validated by South Korea’s now disgraced and suspended President, Yoon Suk Yeol, who came to power in 2022 on an anti-feminist platform, claiming gender discrimination no longer existed, and has since tried to dismantle the government’s gender equality ministry.

More surprising than these views themselves, is that the men who hold them have such power over major companies.

I travelled to Pangyo, the Silicon Valley of South Korea, to meet a woman who has worked in the gaming industry for 20 years. After Darim’s case, her company started to edit all its games, removing the fingers from characters’ hands, turning them into fists, to avoid complaints.

“It’s exhausting and frustrating” to work like this, she said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “The idea that a hand gesture can be seen as an attack on men is absurd and companies should be ignoring it.”

When I asked why they were not, she told me that many developers share the gamers’ anti-feminist views. “For all those outside yelling, there are those on the inside who also believe things are bad.”

Then there is the financial cost. The men threaten to boycott the games unless the companies act.

“The gaming companies think the anti-feminists are the largest source of their revenue,” said Minsung. After Darim’s company, Studio Ppuri, was targeted, it said it lost nearly two thirds of its contracts with gaming companies.

Studio Ppuri, did not respond to our questions, but both Nexon, the game developer, and Renault Korea told us they stood against all forms of discrimination and prejudice.

There is evidence the authorities are also capitulating to the anti-feminists’ demands. When Darim reported her abuse to the police, they refused to take her case.

They said because the finger-pinching gesture was taboo, it was “logical” that she, as a feminist, had been attacked. “I was astonished,” she said. “Why would the authorities not protect me?”

Following outrage from feminist organisations, the police backtracked and are now investigating. In a statement, Seocho district police told the BBC their initial decision to close the case had been “insufficient” and they were “making all efforts to identify the suspects”.

The case left Darim’s lawyer, Yu-kyung Beom, dumbfounded. “If you want to say that you’re a feminist in South Korea, you have to be very brave or insane,” she said.

In November 2023, the violence spilled offline and into real life. A young woman, who we are calling Jigu, was working alone in a convenience store late at night, when a man walked in and started attacking her.

“He said ‘hey, you’re a feminist, right? You look like a feminist with your short hair’,” Jigu told me as she apprehensively recounted the night. The man pushed her to the ground and started kicking her. “I kept going in and out of consciousness. I thought I could die.”

Jigu did not consider herself a feminist. She just liked having short hair and thought it suited her. The attack has left her with permanent injuries. Her left ear is damaged, and she wears a hearing aid.

“I feel like I’ve become a completely different person,” she said. “I don’t smile as much. Some days it is agony just to stay alive, the memory of that day is still so clear.”

Her assailant was sent to prison for three years, and for the first time a South Korean court ruled this was a misogynistically motivated crime: in effect, that Jigu had been attacked for looking like a feminist.

During the attack, the man said he belonged to an extreme anti-feminist group, New Men’s Solidarity. Its leader, In-kyu Bae, has called on men to confront feminists. So, one evening, as he held a live-streaming event in Gangnam, a flashy neighbourhood in Seoul, I went to try to talk to him.

“I’m here to tell you these feminists are staining the country with hatred,” he shouted from the roof of a black van kitted out with loudspeakers.

“That psychopath [who attacked Jigu] was not a member of our group. We don’t have members, we are a YouTube channel,” he told me as he simultaneously broadcast to thousands of subscribers. A small group of young men who had come to watch in person were cheering along.

“We’ve never encouraged anyone to use violence. In fact, the violent ones are the feminist groups. They’re shaming men’s genitals,” he added.

Last year, Mr Bae and several of his supporters were convicted of defaming and insulting a feminist activist after harassing her for more than two years.

Anti-feminist views have become so widespread that Yuri Kim, the director of Korea Women’s Trade Union, recently established a committee to track cases of what she describes as “feminism censorship”. She found that some women have been questioned about their stance on feminism in job interviews, while at work women commonly face comments like “all feminists need to die”.

According to Prof Kim, the feminism academic, men are using now feminist threats in the office as a way to harass and control their female colleagues – it is their way of saying ‘we are watching you; you should behave yourself’.

Such harassment is proving effective. Last year, a pair of scholars coined the phrase “quiet feminism”, to describe the impact of what they say is a “pervasive everyday backlash”.

Gowoon Jung and Minyoung Moon found that although women held feminist beliefs they did not feel safe disclosing them in public. Women I spoke to said they were even afraid to cut their hair short, while others said feminism had become so synonymous with hating men they did not associate with the cause.

A 2024 IPSOS poll of 31 countries found only 24% of women in South Korea defined themselves as feminist, compared to an average of 45%, and down from 33% in 2019.

Prof Kim worries the consequences will be severe. By being forced to conceal their feminist values, she argues women are being stripped of their ability to fight against gender inequality, which penetrates workplaces, politics and public life.

Feminists are now busy brainstorming ways to put an end to the witch hunts. One clear answer is legal change. In South Korea there is no blanket anti-discrimination law to protect women and prevent them being fired for their views.

It has been repeatedly blocked by politicians, largely because it would support gay and transgender people, with anti-feminists, and even some trans-exclusionary feminists, now lobbying against it.

Minsung believes the only way to strip the witch hunters of their powers is for the companies and the authorities to stand up to them. They make up a small fraction of men in South Korea, they just have loud voices and a bizarrely oversized influence, he argues.

Since her attack, Jigu now proudly calls herself a feminist. “I want to reach out to other victims like me, and if even one woman has the strength to grab my hand, I want to help.”

The annual No Trousers Tube ride has taken place despite plunging temperatures in the capital.

Trouserless passengers were seen across the London Underground network including in Westminster, Waterloo and South Kensington.

Launched in January 2002 with just seven people in New York, it has spread across the world with dozens of people taking part in this year’s event in London.

Creator Charlie Todd told the BBC: “The whole point is just to create unexpected moments of joy, delight and confusion.”

“I’m very happy to see the tradition live on,” he added. “It’s meant to be a bit of harmless fun.

“Certainly, we are living in a climate where people like to have culture war fights and my rule in New York was always that my goal is to amuse other people, to give people a laugh.

“It’s not to be provocative or to irritate someone so hopefully the spirit of that continues.”

​​”Have we really done it?” Tessa Moura Lacerda asked her mother, in disbelief, as they stood outside a government office on a rainy August morning in 2019.

​​In their hands, a document they fought for years to hold – her father’s death certificate, now correctly stating his cause of death.

​​It read: “unnatural, violent death caused by the State to a missing person […] in the dictatorial regime established in 1964”.

​​Tessa’s father, Gildo Macedo Lacerda, died under torture in 1973 at just 24, during the most brutal years of Brazil’s military dictatorship.

Over more than two decades, at least 434 people were killed or disappeared, with thousands more detained and tortured, a national truth commission found.​​​​

Gildo and Mariluce, Tessa’s mother who was pregnant with her at the time, were arrested on 22 October 1973 in Salvador, Bahia, where they lived in fear of persecution.

​​They were part of a left-wing group that demanded democracy and sought to tear down military rule.

​​The dictatorship targeted opposition politicians, union leaders, students, journalists and almost anyone who voiced dissent.

​​Mariluce was released after being questioned and tortured, but Gildo disappeared.

​​He is believed to have died six days after their arrest, at a military facility in the nearby state of Pernambuco.

​​Former detainees told the truth commission they saw Gildo at the prison, being taken into an interrogation room from which they could hear screams that kept them up at night.

​​The commission also found documents citing his arrest.

​​But newspapers at the time reported that he had been shot on the street following a disagreement with another member of his political group.

​​The government would routinely plant false narratives in newspapers read by huge audiences in Brazil and internationally.

​​Gildo’s original death certificate, issued after a 1995 law allowed families to request the document for the missing, left his cause of death blank.

​​His remains, thought to be in a mass grave with those of other political dissidents, have never been identified.

Tessa, who never got to meet Gildo, said her father’s death had been a constant presence in her life.

​​Growing up, her mother gradually told her more and more about him until she was old enough to learn the brutal details of how he died.​​

​​But the lack of an official acknowledgement, and the fact that the family never got to bury him, had a deep impact on her.

​​”His absence, the absence of his body, brought a series of questions,” Tessa told BBC News.​​

​​”As a child, I thought that maybe he hadn’t died. I had this fantasy that he had managed to escape, that I’m not sure my mother even knew about.”​​

​​Now, as an adult, she said she still feels that there is something “broken” inside of her.​​

​​For years, she experienced nightmares, couldn’t sleep in the dark, and when she became a mother, struggled with panicked thoughts that something would happen to her children.​​

​​”It’s like I have a corporal memory of this fear,” she said.​​

​​”People may find it strange, like something supernatural, but it’s not.

“It’s trauma. I was born with it.”

​​Until the age of 18, Tessa’s own birth certificate didn’t list Gildo as her father, with the family having to go through a lengthy legal battle to prove that he was.

​​This made the correction of her father’s death certificate an even more important endeavour.

​​”It’s part of my duty fulfilled,” she said.

​​”It’s not just for the memory of my father, but in the name of all others who disappeared, were killed or tortured during the dictatorship.”

​​In December, Brazil announced it would rectify the certificates of all recognised victims to acknowledge the state’s role in their deaths.

​​Until now, only a few families like Tessa’s had been able to work with a special commission, which was dissolved in 2022 by the president at the time, Jair Bolsonaro, and reinstated by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2024, to have their certificates amended.

​​”It’s a legitimate settling of accounts with the past,” the head of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Luís Roberto Barroso, said.

In recent weeks, a national conversation has been sparked over this violent history after a new film by BAFTA-winning director Walter Salles brought the realities of the dictatorship to the surface.

I’m Still Here, based on a book with the same name by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, tells the story of the author’s mother Eunice and her fight for justice after his father, former congressman Rubens Paiva, was tortured and killed.

Eunice waited 25 years for her husband’s death certificate.

She had no access to the family’s bank accounts without it, and had to rebuild her life.

She died in 2018 without knowing exactly what happened to her husband in his last hours, and without being able to bury him.

Fernanda Torres, who plays Eunice in the film, won Brazil’s first Best Actress Golden Globe Award last week for her part in the film – and many are hoping to see her on the list of Academy Awards nominations later this month.

She told BBC News she had huge admiration for Eunice.

“She is a woman who never spent a second of her life seeking recognition for herself… She wanted the death of her husband to be recognised.

“Despite the world changing, that absence was never cured,” she added.

“How are you going to tell these families: ‘Just forget. Brush your dead under the carpet?'”

Despite I’m Still Here being mostly set during the dictatorship years, it resonates deeply with Brazilians today.

Brazil is an extremely divided country, and its politics has become exceedingly polarised.

Recent years have seen a rise in extreme rhetoric and efforts to re-write the narrative around the dictatorship.

In 2016, a group of protesters stormed Congress calling for a return to military rule. Three years later, Bolsonaro’s education minister ordered the revision of history textbooks, denying the overthrow of the democratic government in 1964 had been a coup.

Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has praised the former dictatorship and held events commemorating the coup during his time in office.

More recently, Bolsonaro and some of his closest allies have been formally accused of allegedly plotting a coup after he lost the 2022 presidential election.

The former president never publicly acknowledged his defeat and his supporters, who refused to accept the outcome, stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court on 8 January 2023.

Salles told the BBC the current state of politics in Brazil was part of why now was the right time to make the film.

“What’s extraordinary about literature, music, cinema and the arts, is that they are instruments against forgetting,” he said.

Brazilians with close ties to the story have described leaving cinemas in tears after watching the film.

Marta Costta, whose aunt Helenira was killed in 1972, said she wanted to run out of the screening.

“You imagine that your family were hooded and tortured in that way,” she told BBC News.

“When Eunice is telling her story, she is also telling mine; when I am telling my aunt’s story, I’m also telling theirs. You can’t separate one from the other,” she said.

Marta is making a documentary about Helenira and her years of resistance, but there is much the family still doesn’t know about her disappearance and death. Helenira’s body was also never recovered.

“It’s a cursed inheritance, because we have to keep passing the baton from generation to generation, until we can ensure her memory is preserved, that history is told how it really happened.”

Helenira’s family will now, 52 years after she was killed, receive a certificate that acknowledges the brutal reality of her death.

Its importance, Marta says, is immeasurable.

“The day we receive that certificate, it’s like the state is recognising its role and apologising.

“It’s the first step for us to be able to begin again.”

Though the certificates are a step forward, both Tessa and Marta say the bereaved families have a long way to go in their fight for justice.

An amnesty law, which remains in place, means that none of the military officials in power at the time or those accused of torture and killings have been prosecuted. Many have already died.

There has been no formal apology from the government or the military.

“Brazilian society needs to recognise this history so these deaths weren’t in vain,” Tessa said.

“If we don’t work to clear up this history, to acknowledge our pain,” Marta said, “we will always be under the risk of it happening again.”

The wounds of the dictatorship, in Tessa’s words, are a national trauma.

But for her, as for Marta and Eunice, it is also a deeply personal history.

“I will not stop fighting until the end of my days,” she said.

“I will bury my father.”

For years Russia and Syria were key partners – Moscow gained access to Mediterranean air and sea bases while Damascus received military support for its fight against rebel forces.

Now, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, many Syrians want to see Russian forces leave but their interim government says it is open to further cooperation.

“Russia’s crimes here were indescribable,” says Ahmed Taha, a rebel commander in Douma, six miles north-east of the capital Damascus.

The city was once a prosperous place in a region known as the “bread basket” of Damascus. And Ahmed Taha was once a civilian, working as a tradesman when he took up arms against the Assad regime following the brutal suppression of protests in 2011.

Entire residential districts in Douma now lie in ruins after some of the fiercest fighting in Syria’s almost 14-year civil war.

Moscow entered this conflict in 2015 to support the regime when it was losing ground. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later claimed that, at the time of the intervention, Damascus was just weeks away from being overrun by rebels.

The Syrian operation showed the ambition of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to be taken more seriously after the widespread international condemnation of his annexation of Crimea.

Moscow claimed to have tested 320 different weapons in Syria.

It also secured 49-year leases on two military bases on the Mediterranean coast – the Tartus naval base and the Hmeimim air base. This allowed the Kremlin to rapidly expand its influence in Africa, serving as a spring board for Russian operations in Libya, the Central African Republic, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

Despite the support of Russia and Iran, Assad could not prevent his regime from collapsing. But Moscow offered refuge to him and his family.

Now, many Syrian civilians and rebel fighters see Russia as an accomplice of the Assad regime that helped destroy their homeland.

“The Russians came to this country and helped the tyrants, oppressors, and invaders,” says Abu Hisham, as he celebrated the fall of the regime in Damascus.

The Kremlin has always denied that, saying it only targeted jihadist groups like IS or al-Qaeda.

But the United Nations and human rights groups accused the regime and Russia of committing war crimes.

In 2016, during an assault on densely populated Eastern Aleppo, Syrian and Russian forces conducted relentless air strikes, “claiming hundreds of lives and reducing hospitals, schools and markets to rubble,” according to a UN report.

In Aleppo, Douma and elsewhere, the regime forces besieged rebel-held areas, cutting off food and medicine supplies, and proceeded to bomb them until armed opposition groups surrendered.

Russia also negotiated ceasefires and deals for the surrender of rebel-held towns and cities, such as Douma in 2018.

Ahmed Taha was among the rebels there who agreed to surrender in exchange for safe passage out of the city following a five-year siege by the Syrian army.

He returned to Douma in December as a part of the rebel offensive led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“We are back home in spite of Russia, in spite of the regime and all those who supported it,” says Taha.

He has no doubt the Russians should leave: “For us, Russia is an enemy.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by many people we speak to.

Even leaders of Syria’s Christian communities, who Russia vowed to protect, say they had little help from Moscow.

In Bab Touma, the ancient Christian quarter of Damascus, the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church says: “We did not have the experience of Russia or anybody else from the outside world protecting us.”

“The Russians were here for their own benefits and goals,” Ignatius Aphrem II tells the BBC.

Other Syrian Christians were less diplomatic.

“When they came in the beginning, they said: ‘We came here to help you,'” says a man called Assad. “But instead of helping us, they destroyed Syria even more.”

Sharaa, now Syria’s de facto leader, said in a BBC interview last month that he would not rule out allowing the Russians to stay, and he described relations between the two countries as “strategic”.

Moscow seized on his words, with foreign minister Lavrov agreeing Russia “had much in common with our Syrian friends”.

But untangling the ties in a post-Assad future may not be easy.

Rebuilding Syria’s military will require either a completely new start or a continued reliance on Russian supplies, which would mean at least some kind of relationship between the two countries, says Turki al-Hassan, a defence analyst and retired Syrian army general.

Syria’s military cooperation with Moscow predates the Assad regime, Hassan says. Virtually all the equipment it has was produced by the Soviet Union or Russia, he explains.

“From its inception, the Syrian army has been armed with Eastern Bloc weapons.”

Between 1956 and 1991 Syria received some 5,000 tanks, 1,200 fighter aircraft, 70 ships and many other systems and weapons from Moscow worth over $26bn (£21bn), according to Russian estimates.

A lot of this was in support of Syria’s wars with Israel, which has largely defined the nation’s foreign policy since it gained independence from France in 1946.

More than half of that sum was left unpaid when the Soviet Union collapsed but in 2005 president Putin wrote off 73% of the debt.

For now, Russian officials have taken a conciliatory but cautious approach towards the interim rulers who toppled Russia’s long-standing ally.

Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s UN envoy, said recent events had marked a new phase in the history of what he called “brotherly Syrian people”. He said Russia would provide both humanitarian aid and support for reconstruction to allow Syrian refugees to return home.

The man who provided the singing voice for Robbie Williams in his musical biopic Better Man described it as “the weirdest claim to fame”.

Musician Adam Tucker, from King’s Lynn in Norfolk, had always been told by friends that he sounded like the Stoke-on-Trent pop star so sent recordings to film producers who were looking for a sound-a-like.

Between 3 January and 9 January the film’s soundtrack album was number one in the Official Album Downloads Chart which Mr Tucker described as “crazy”.

“I see people like Pink, Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron have all posted about this film, and I’m thinking ‘they’ve all just heard me sing for two and a half hours and they don’t know’. But I guess that means I’ve done the job right.” he said.

The singer added: “As a musician I’ve spent years trying to write songs that get heard… To finally be in the charts in some capacity is obviously like amazing.

“Millions of people have heard me sing but only a small percentage of them know they’ve actually heard me sing.”

Milton Keynes actor Jonno Davies provided the speaking voice and performance capture for Robbie Williams in the film, who is represented on screen as a CGI chimpanzee.

While Williams sang some of the songs on the soundtrack, Mr Tucker estimated “about 90%” of the music heard in the movie was him.

Filmmakers wanted new versions of the star’s best-known hits so songs could fit the energy of the big musical scenes while still sounding like the hit-maker in his youth.

Mr Tucker estimated he spent about 200 hours re-recording Williams’ songs between the summer of May 2023 and August 2024.

During recordings he had cameras trained on his mouth so artists at New Zealand special effects company Wētā FX could match the chimpanzee’s mouth movements to his own.

Working on the film has given the Norfolk musician a new appreciation for Williams.

He said: “Some of the parts on some of the songs I was on the brink of my voice… He must’ve been 16 when he sung this.

“Some of his songs are really high. I don’t think people give him credit, he still sings the songs in the same key, he doesn’t change the key of the songs.”

The other challenge was the accent, Robbie Williams is not from Norfolk.

“I have some family from Stoke, so I’m well-tuned into that accent. It was those little tweaks in the accent that we spent hours on,” he recalled.

Mr Tucker said his favourite songs to perform in the film were My Way and She’s The One as both were pivotal emotional scenes.

In the film, the latter is done as a duet with All Saint’s singer Nicole Appleton – her character’s singing voice was provided by West End performer Kayleigh McKnight from Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire.

She beamed: “Knowing that there’s people all over the world hearing my voice when they see this film blows my mind.

“There’s something kind of fun about it. I was sat in the cinema watching it, and no one knew it was me… I felt like a bit like the Masked Singer.

“I’ve been dreaming of a number one in the download chart, and now I’ve got one. Maybe not quite the way I was expecting. I was manifesting it clearly, but I just didn’t realise it would be in the Robbie Williams biopic.”

A friend of Ms McKnight invited her to audition for the role – she recorded herself singing She’s The One at home and a short time later found herself in a studio.

Unlike Mr Tucker, her recording only took about two days and filming had already finished.

The singer said: “They didn’t ask me to sound like Nicole from All Saints, mostly because their songs were so different to this version of She’s The One that we were doing.”

Ms McKnight revealed she has received messaged from fans who have described her performance as moving and emotional.

“This is my call out to Robbie, if you need a singer for She’s The One on tour. I’m available,” she laughed.

Mr Tucker made a similar offer.

Norway is the world leader when it comes to the take up of electric cars, which last year accounted for nine out of 10 new vehicles sold in the country. Can other nations learn from it?

For more than 75 years Oslo-based car dealership Harald A Møller has been importing Volkswagens, but early in 2024 it bid farewell to fossil fuel cars.

Now all the passenger vehicles for sale in its showroom are electric (EV).

“We think it’s wrong to advise a customer coming in here today to buy an ICE [internal combustion engine] car, because the future is electric,” says chief executive Ulf Tore Hekneby, as he walks around the cars on display. “Long-range, high-charging speed. It’s hard to go back.”

On the streets of Norway’s capital, Oslo, battery-powered cars aren’t a novelty, they’re the norm. Take a look around and you’ll soon notice that almost every other car has an “E” for “electric” on its license plate.

The Nordic nation of 5.5 million people has adopted EVs faster than any other country, and is on the cusp of becoming the first to phase out the sale of new fossil fuel cars.

Last year, the number of electric cars on Norway’s roads outnumbered those powered by petrol for the first time. When diesel vehicles are included, electric cars account for almost a third of all on Norwegian roads.

And 88.9% of new cars sold in the country last year were EVs, up from 82.4% in 2023, data from the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) showed.

In some months sales of fully electric cars were as high as 98%, as new petrol or diesel car purchases almost fizzled out.

By contrast, in the UK electric cars made up only 20% of new car registrations in 2024. Although this was a record high, and up from 16.5% in 2023.

In the US, the figure was just 8% last year, up from 7.6%.

Norway is undoubtedly an EV pioneer, but this electric revolution has been three decades in the making.

“It started already in the early 1990s,” says Christina Bu, the secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association, as she took me for a spin around Oslo in an electric minivan.

“Little by little taxing petrol and diesel engine cars more, so they have become a lot more expensive to purchase, whereas electric cars have been exempted from taxes.”

The support for electric vehicles was first introduced to help two Norwegian manufacturers of early EVs, the Buddy (previously Kewet) and TH!NK City. While they went out of business, the incentives for greener vehicles remained.

“It’s our goal to see that it’s always a good and viable choice, to choose zero emission,” says Norway’s Deputy Transport Minister, Cecilie Knibe Kroglund.

Even though it’s a major oil and gas producer, Norway aims for all new cars sold to be “zero emission”, starting at some point in 2025. A non-binding goal was set back in 2017, and that milestone now lies within reach.

“We are closing up on the target, and I think that we will reach that goal,” adds Kroglund. “I think we have already made the transition for passengers cars.”

Key to Norway’s success has been long-term and predictable policies, she explains.

Rather than banning combustion engine vehicles, the government has steered consumer choices. In addition to penalising fuel fossil vehicles with higher taxes and registration fees, VAT and import duties were scrapped for low-emission cars.

A string of perks, like free parking, discounted road tolls and access to bus lanes, then followed.

By comparison, the European Union plans to ban sales of new fossil-fuel cars by 2035, and the UK’s current government wants to prohibit their sale in 2030.

Petrol and diesel car sales are still permitted in Norway. But few are choosing to buy them.

For many locals, like Ståle Fyen, who bought his first EV 15 months ago, going electric made economic sense.

“With all the incentives we have in Norway, with no taxes on EVs, that was quite important to us money wise,” he says while plugging in his car at a charging station in the capital.

“In the cold, the range is maybe 20% shorter, but still, with the expansive charging network we have here in Norway, that isn’t a big issue really,” Mr Fyen adds. “You just have to change your mindset and charge when you can, not when you need to.”

Another driver, Merete Eggesbø, says that back in 2014 she was one of the first people in Norway to own a Tesla. “I really wanted a car that didn’t pollute. It gave me a better conscience driving.”

At Norwegian petrol stations many fuel pumps have been replaced by fast-charging points, and across Norway there are now more than 27,000 public chargers.

This compares with 73,699 in the UK – a country 12 times bigger in terms of population.

That means that, per 100,000 people, Norway has 447 chargers while the UK has just 89, according to a recent report.

Tesla, VW and Toyota, were Norway’s top-selling EV brands last year. Meanwhile, Chinese-owned marques – such as MG, BYD, Polestar and XPeng – now make up a combined 10% of the market, according to the Norwegian Road Federation.

Norway, unlike the US and EU, has not imposed tariffs on Chinese EV imports.

Ms Bu says there’s “not really any reason why other countries can not copy Norway”. However, she adds that it is “all about doing it in a way that can work in each country or market”.

Norwegians aren’t more environmentally-minded than people elsewhere, she reckons. “I don’t think a green mindset has much to do with it. It has to do with strong policies, and people gradually understanding that driving an electric car is possible.”

Yet Norway is also a very wealthy nation, which thanks to its huge oil and gas exports, has a sovereign wealth fund worth more than $1.7tn (£1.3tn). This means it can more easily afford big infrastructure-build projects, and absorb the loss of tax revenue from the sale of petrol and diesel cars and their fuel.

The county also has an abundance of renewable hydro electricity, which accounts for 88% of its production capacity.

“A third of cars are now electric, and it will pass 50% in a few years,” says Kjell Werner Johansen from the Norwegian Centre for Transport Research. “I think the government accepts that a few new petrol or hybrid cars will still be on the market, but I don’t know anybody who wants to buy a diesel car these days.”

The family of drag icon The Vivienne said they “brought the sparkle to life” and will be missed “for eternity” during an emotional vigil in Liverpool on Sunday night.

Hundreds gathered on the steps of St George’s Hall to pay their respects to the TV star, also known as James Lee Williams, who died last week aged 32.

The landmark was lit up in green to honour The Vivienne’s role in Wizard of Oz and crowds swayed with their phone torches shining to a moving rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

The Vivienne was catapulted to fame after winning the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019.

“As a family we are completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for James, The Vivienne,” the family said in a statement read by The Vivienne’s friend Bobby Musker.

The family paid tribute to a “son, brother, uncle and true icon”.

“From an early age it was evident he was destined for the stage… he was determined to pave his own way in this world,” they said.

“The road was not easy but the dream never, ever changed and James would always tell us that they would make it happen and they did.”

The family said they were “so unbelievably proud of everything they achieved”.

“We will miss you for an eternity and for an eternity we will all love you,” they said.

Shortly before the statement was read, The Vivienne’s young niece Isabella took the microphone.

“Thank you for being here to celebrate my uncle,” she said to the crowd. “I love you Uncle James.”

Crowds heard performances from Joey & the Hot Tub Boys, who sang Heart of Stone by Cher and Heroes by David Bowie, and speeches from a host of friends and colleagues.

Danny Beard, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK series four, called The Vivienne a “truly larger than life” character who could “never be confined by the ordinary”.

They described them as a “shining beacon of light for the LGBT community”.

“The performances weren’t just acts, they were celebrations of life,” they said.

“They taught us it was OK to live out loud.”

The vigil was organised with the help of Sahir House, Liverpool’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity. The Vivienne was an ambassador of the charity.

The Vivienne’s publicist and friend Simon Jones told the BBC: “I will remember The Vivienne as being a really kind-hearted, lovely person as well as being the most amazing talent.

“What I loved the most about The Vivienne was that she made me laugh the whole time.

“There is literally no one who has made me laugh as much as Viv, whether that was at a show where she was reading the audience… or when we were going for lunch or dinner or hanging out.

“There was always a quick one-liner and something a bit savage.

“She was always hilarious and I’m really going to miss that. She brought so much love and warmth into my life.”

Presenter Holly Willoughby paid tribute to drag queen The Vivienne after an opening performance by the professional skaters on ITV series Dancing On Ice on Saturday night.

The programme started with a display of lifts and jumps from the figure skaters, who were dressed in pink, blue and yellow.

After Willoughby welcomed viewers to the new series, she added: “Before we move on, like us, many of you will have been saddened by the tragic news of The Vivienne’s passing last weekend.

“Now they were a huge part of our show, making it all the way to the final in 2023.

“They’ll be very sorely missed and our thoughts are with The Vivienne’s loved ones at this time. So sad.”

After winning the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, The Vivienne became the only contestant from the UK series to compete in the American series when they took part in All Stars 7 in 2022.

They went on to become a household name through appearances on other TV shows including Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Dancing on Ice and Emmerdale.

The Vivienne’s death led to an outpouring of grief from the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

On Friday, DragCon UK, a convention for fans of Drag Race, was attended by most of the show’s contestants.

Host RuPaul Charles paid tribute to The Vivienne during the opening ceremony of the event, saying he wanted to focus on “love”.

He said: “We are going to remember our dear The Vivienne, with love, life, and that’s what she was all about.

“She would love for you to live your lives and to be free and to have a lot of fun and to spread it around, isn’t that right?”

Other high profile names to pay tribute included Drag Race judge Michelle Visage and singer and actor Arianna Grande.

The Vivienne was raised in Colwyn Bay on the north coast of Wales.

They attended private school Rydal Penrhos but dropped out aged 16 to move to Liverpool and become a make-up artist.

They later went on to live and perform in Gran Canaria. A vigil was held on the Spanish island at the same time as the Liverpool event.

Prominent Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai who was abducted by armed men in Kenya said she has been released, hours after the incident.

Amnesty International Kenya spokesperson Roland Ebole told the BBC she was “forced” into a vehicle in the capital Nairobi on Sunday afternoon.

But Ms Tsehai was released hours later. She shared a video to her 1.3 million followers on X, appearing visibly shaken and emotional, but said: “I have been saved.”

Ms Tsehai is a staunch critic of Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and has accused her government of bringing “tyranny back” to the country.

The Law Society of Kenya president, Faith Odhiambo, said on X they had managed to arrange her release.

“We are sending a warning. We will not allow our country to be used as a haven for picking up individuals,” she said at an evening press conference.

Neither Kenyan nor Tanzanian officials have commented.

Ms Tsehai is a fierce advocate for land rights and freedom of expression in Tanzania.

There have been concerns that Tanzania could be returning to the repressive rule of late President Magufuli, despite his successor Samia lifting a ban on opposition gatherings and promising to restore competitive politics.

• Why Samia’s hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

Last year, dozens of opposition were arrested and some were brutally killed. One senior opposition leader died after being doused in acid.

Human Rights Watch described the rise in arrests of opposition activists as a “bad sign” ahead of the 2025 presidential elections, which will take place in October.

Change Tanzania, a movement founded by Ms Tsehai, said in a statement on X they believed she was taken by Tanzanian security agents “operating beyond Tanzania borders to silence government legitimate criticism.”

It added that her “courage in standing up for justice has made her a target”.

In recent months, she had expressed concerns about her safety, reporting an incident where two unidentified men were seen looking for her at her home while she was away.

Kenya has a history of enabling foreign governments to abduct its citizens and carry out forcible extraditions, breaching international law.

Last year, Ugandan opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, was kidnapped in Nairobi by Ugandan security officials and taken across the border for trial by a court martial.

The Ugandan government said Kenya helped them in the operation – but the Kenyan government denied this.

Mr Ebole told the BBC “it might be another repeat” of Mr Besigye’s situation.

Internally, Kenya has been gripped by a wave of disappearances, following last year’s youth-led protests against a series of planned tax rises.

A state-funded rights group saying that over 80 people have been abducted in the last six months.

A few have been released in recent weeks, and there are growing calls for all who have been abducted to be freed.

• How a Ugandan opposition leader disappeared in Kenya and ended up in military court
• Ruto’s humbling shows power of African youth
• ‘I can’t sleep’: What an athlete’s murder tells us about women’s safety in Kenya

The French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte has been hit by further heavy rains, leading to flooding and mudslides, one month after Cyclone Chido devastated large parts of the islands and left dozens dead.

The archipelago was put on the highest state of alert as another storm passed by on Sunday morning. Authorities warned of violent winds, flash floods and landslides.

Videos on social media show downed power lines and some flooding. Local TV reported that the southern village of Mbouini, the only settlement left untouched by Cyclone Chido, was under water.

The latest storm, Dikeledi, made landfall in northern Madagascar on Saturday, killing at least three people.

The storm passed approximately 100 km (62 miles) south of Mayotte around 09:00 GMT on Sunday, according to forecaster Météo-France.

“Extremely heavy rains are beginning to trickle down,” François-Xavier Bieuville, the prefect of Mayotte, told French news channel BFMTV.

They were causing the first floods “and relatively significant mudslides” across the territory, he added.

The prefect said it was likely the island would remain on red alert until Monday evening, since heavy rain was expected to continue even after the storm had passed.

At least 14,500 people have taken refuge in emergency shelters set up to protect them from the storm, BFMTV reported.

As of Sunday afternoon, the storm was moving away from Mayotte, Météo-France reported. The system is expected to slowly intensify over the next 24 hours to tropical cyclone status while approaching the coast of Mozambique.

The current forecast does not predict landfall in Mozambique, but the Nampula region is still expected to experience “very degraded conditions”, the forecaster said.

Mozambique is also recovering from Cyclone Chido, which killed 120 people in the country.

• ‘Dozens not thousands’ killed on Mayotte by Cyclone Chido
• Survivors describe Mayotte cyclone horror

In Mayotte, one of the poorest parts of France, many residents live in shanty towns.

Officially the archipelago has 320,000 residents, but authorities estimate about 100,000 to 200,000 undocumented migrants may also be living there.

On 14 December, Cyclone Chido became the worst storm to hit Mayotte in 90 years, bringing winds of up to 260 km/h (160mph) and flattening areas where people lived in shacks with metal roofs.

Initial reports said several hundred people had been killed, but the toll was later revised down to 39.

The army in Sudan says it has captured a key central city, one of its biggest gains yet in an almost two-year-long war against rebel forces.

Footage on social media showed people celebrating in the streets as army soldiers entered the city of Wad Madani.

The leader of paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, acknowledged the loss in an audio message.

His admission was angry and rambling, attributing the defeat to the army’s air superiority and use of Iranian-made drones.

But he vowed to continue fighting until victory, even if it took another 20 years.

Wad Madani is the capital of the state of Al Jazira, and is 87 miles (140km) south of the country’s capital, Khartoum.

Wad Madani serves as a strategic crossroads, connecting several states through key supply highways. It is also the closest major town to Khartoum.

Sudan has been ravaged by war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the RSF and the Sudanese army.

The RSF continues to control nearly all of Sudan’s western Darfur region, as well as significant portions of the country’s south. Meanwhile, the army controls the north and east, as well as parts of Khartoum.

The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives. And in what the United Nations has called one of the world’s “largest displacement crises”, about nine million people have been forced to flee their homes.

The country is also slipping into a famine, with 24.6 million people – about half the population – in urgent need of food aid, experts said.

Earlier this month, the US sanctioned the RSF leader after it accused the group of committing genocide.

Officials said he was being punished for his role in “systematic” atrocities against the Sudanese people during the 20-month conflict.

• What is going on in Sudan? A simple guide
• BBC hears of horror and hunger in rare visit to Darfur massacre town
• Sudan – where more children are fleeing war than anywhere else

The hum of sewing machines is a constant in parts of Guangzhou, a thriving port on the Pearl River in southern China.

It rattles through the open windows of factories from morning until late at night, as they finish the t-shirts, shorts, blouses, pants and swimwear that will be shipped to fill wardrobes in more than 150 countries.

This is the sound of Panyu, the neighbourhood known as the “Shein village”, a warren of factories that power the world’s largest fast fashion retailer.

“If there are 31 days in a month, I will work 31 days,” one worker told the BBC.

Most said they only have one day off a month.

The BBC spent several days here: we visited 10 factories, spoke to four owners and more than 20 workers. We also spent time at labour markets and textile suppliers.

We found that the beating heart of this empire is a workforce sitting behind sewing machines for around 75 hours a week in contravention of Chinese labour laws.

These hours are not unusual in Guangzhou, an industrial hub for rural workers in search of a higher income; or in China, which has long been the world’s unrivalled factory.

But they add to a growing list of questions about Shein, once a little-known Chinese-founded company that has become a global behemoth in just over five years.

Still privately-owned, it is estimated to be worth about £36bn ($60bn) and is now eyeing a listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Its meteoric rise, however, has been dogged with controversy about its treatment of workers and allegations of forced labour.

Last year it admitted to finding children working in its factories in China.

The company declined to be interviewed but told the BBC in a statement that “Shein is committed to ensuring the fair and dignified treatment of all workers within our supply chain” and is investing tens of millions of dollars in strengthening governance and compliance”.

It added: “We strive to set the highest standards for pay and we require that all supply chain partners adhere to our code of conduct. Furthermore, Shein works with auditors to ensure compliance.”

Shein’s success lies in volume – the inventory online runs into the hundreds of thousands – and deep discounts: £10 dresses, £6 sweaters, prices that hover below £8 on average.

Revenue has soared, outstripping the likes of H&M, Zara and the UK’s Primark. The cut-price sales are driven by places like the Shein village, home to some 5,000 factories, most of them Shein suppliers.

The buildings have been hollowed out to make way for sewing machines, rolls of fabric and bags brimming with cloth scraps. The doors to their basements are always open for the seemingly endless cycle of deliveries and collections.

As the day passes, the shelves fill up with warehouse-bound, clear plastic bags labelled with a now-distinctive five-letter noun.

But even past 22:00, the sewing machines – and the people hunched over them – don’t stop as more fabric arrives, in trucks so full that bolts of colour sometimes tumble onto the factory floor.

“We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day,” says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. “On Sundays we work around three hours less.”

She is in an alleyway, where a dozen people are huddled around a row of bulletin boards.

They are reading the job ads on the board, while examining the stitching on a pair of chinos draped over it.

This is Shein’s supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order – some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil.

The migrant worker from Jiangxi is looking for a short-term contract – and the chinos are an option.

“We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high,” she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents.

“We get paid per piece,” she explains. “It depends how difficult the item is. Something simple like a t-shirt is one-two yuan [less than a dollar] per piece and I can make around a dozen in an hour.”

Examining the stitching on the chinos is crucial for making that decision. All around her, workers are calculating how much they will get paid to make each piece of clothing and how many they can make in an hour.

The alleys of Panyu function as labour markets, filling up in the mornings as workers and scooters rush past the breakfast dumpling cart, the cups of steaming soybean milk and the hopeful farmer selling chicken and duck eggs.

Standard working hours appear to be from 08:00 to well past 22:00, the BBC found.

This is consistent with a report from the Swiss advocacy group Public Eye, which was based on interviews with 13 textile workers at factories producing clothes for Shein.

They found that a number of staff were working excessive overtime. It noted the basic wage without overtime was 2,400 yuan (£265; $327) – below the 6,512 yuan the Asia Floor Wage Alliance says is needed for a “living wage”. But the workers we spoke to managed to earn anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 yuan a month.

“These hours are not unusual, but it’s clear that it’s illegal and it violates basic human rights,” said David Hachfield from the group. “It’s an extreme form of exploitation and this needs to be visible.”

The average working week should not exceed 44 hours, according to Chinese labour laws, which also state that employers should ensure workers have at least one rest day a week. If an employer wants to extend these hours, it should be for special reasons.

While Shein’s headquarters are now in Singapore, there is no denying the majority of its products are made in China.

And Shein’s success has drawn the attention of Washington, which is increasingly wary of Chinese firms.

In June, Donald Trump’s pick for US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said he had “grave ethics concerns” about Shein’s “deep ties to the People’s Republic of China”: “Slave labour, sweatshops, and trade tricks are the dirty secrets behind Shein’s success,” he wrote.

Not everyone would agree with Rubio’s choice of words to describe the conditions at Shein’s suppliers. But rights groups say that the long working hours, which have become a way of life for many in Guangzhou, are unfair and exploitative.

The machines dictate the rhythm of the day.

They pause for lunch and dinner when the workers, metal plates and chopsticks in hand, file into the canteen to buy food. If there is no more space to sit, they stand in the street.

“I’ve been working in these factories for more than 40 years,” said one woman who spent just 20 minutes eating her meal. This was just another day for her.

Inside, the factories we visit are not cramped. There is enough light and industrial-sized fans have been brought in to keep workers cool. Huge posters urge staff to report underage workers – likely a response to finding two cases of child labour in the supply chain last year.

The BBC understands that the company is keeping a closer eye on its suppliers ahead of plans to go public on the London Stock Exchange.

“This is about their reputation,” says Sheng Lu, a professor in Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware. “If Shein can successfully achieve an IPO then it means they are recognised as a decent company. But if they are to keep the confidence of investors, they have to take some responsibility.”

One of the biggest challenges Shein faces is accusations that it sources cotton from China’s Xinjiang region.

Once touted as among the world’s best fabric, Xinjiang’s cotton has fallen out of favour after allegations that it is produced using forced labour by people from the Muslim Uyghur minority – a charge that Beijing has consistently denied.

The only way to get around this criticism is to be more transparent, Prof Sheng says.

“Unless you fully release your factory list, unless you make your supply chain more transparent to the public, then I think it’s going to be very challenging for Shein.”

A major advantage, he adds, is that Shein’s supply chain is in China: “Very few countries have a complete supply chain. China has this – and nobody can compete.”

Aspiring rivals like Vietnam and Bangladesh import raw materials from China to make clothes. But Chinese factories rely entirely on local sources for everything, from fabric to zippers and buttons. So it’s easy to make a variety of garments, and they are able to do it quickly.

That especially works for Shein whose algorithm determines orders. If shoppers repeatedly click on a certain dress, or spend longer looking at a wool sweater, the firms knows to ask factories to make more – and fast.

For workers in Guangzhou, this can be a challenge.

“Shein has its pros and cons,” one factory owner told us. “The good thing is the order is eventually big, but profit is low and it’s fixed.”

Shein, given its size and influence, is a hard bargainer. So factory owners have to cut costs elsewhere, often resulting in lower staff wages.

“Before Shein, we produced and sold clothes on our own,” said an owner of three factories. “We could estimate the cost, decide the price and calculate the profit. Now Shein controls the price, and you have to think about ways to reduce the cost.”

When orders peak, however, it’s a bonanza. The company ships around one million packages a day on average, according to data from ShipMatrix, a logistics consultancy firm.

“Shein is a pillar of the fashion industry,” said Guo Qing E, a Shein supplier.

“I started when Shein started. I witnessed its rise. To be honest, Shein is an awesome company in China. I think it will become stronger, because it pays on time. This is where it is most trustworthy.

“If payment for our goods is due on the 15th, no matter whether it’s millions or tens of millions, the money will be paid on time.”

Shein, with its gruelling hours and sometimes lower wages, may not be a source of comfort to all its workers. But it is a source of pride for some.

“This is the contribution we Chinese people can make to the world,” said a 33- year-old supervisor from Guangdong, who didn’t want to give her name.

It’s dark outside and workers are filing back into factories after their dinner for the final stretch. She admits the hours are long, but “we get on well with each other. We are like a family”.

Hours later, after many workers head home for the night, the lights in several buildings stay on.

Some people work until midnight, one factory owner told us. They want to earn more money, he said.

After all, in London, Chicago, Singapore, Dubai and so many other places, someone is hunting for their next bargain.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is willing to hand over the two captured North Korean soldiers back to Pyongyang in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia.

“For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available,” Zelensky said on X. Those who want “to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean will be given that opportunity”, he added.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said one of the two soldiers told officials he thought he was going to Russia for “training”, rather than to fight.

He was found with a Russian military ID card issued in the name of another person. The other soldier had no documents.

SBU said the two men, who were taken prisoner on 9 Jan, are in Kyiv and receiving medical care.

They only speak Korean and are being questioned with the assistance of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, SBU said.

Russia has not denied using North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin said in October that it was his country’s “sovereign decision” whether or not to deploy such troops.

On Saturday, Zelensky posted photographs of the two captured soldiers, showing one of them with his head and chin in bandage, while the other had both his hands fully wrapped up.

Zelensky also shared a photo of a red Russian military ID card that gives the place of birth as Turan, in the Russian republic of Tuva, which shares a border with Mongolia.

SBU said that the soldier found with the ID card told interrogators he had been issued the document during the autumn of 2024, in Russia.

According to SBU, he also said that some of North Korea’s combat units had undergone a one-week training at the time.

“It is noteworthy that the prisoner…emphasises that he was allegedly going for training, not to fight a war against Ukraine,” the SBU statement said.

Zelensky’s office said in a statement on Saturday that the Russians “are trying to hide the fact that these are soldiers from North Korea by giving them documents claiming they are from Tuva or other territories under Moscow’s control”.

The intelligence service reported that the soldier carrying the ID card said he was born in 2005 and had been serving North Korea as a rifleman since 2021.

The second prisoner is reported to have given some of his answers in writing because he had an injured jaw, according to SBU.

SBU said it believed he was born in 1999 and had been serving North Korea as a scout sniper since 2016.

The Geneva Convention states that the questioning of prisoners should be carried out in a language they understand and prisoners must be protected against public curiosity.

BBC News and other international media have not yet verified Ukraine’s account of the prisoners and their capture.

Ukraine and South Korea reported late last year that North Korea had sent at least 10,000 troops to Russia.

The White House said North Korean forces were experiencing mass casualties.

In December, South Korea’s intelligence agency reported that a North Korean soldier believed to have been the first to be captured while supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine had died after being taken alive by Ukrainian forces.

Zelensky said on Sunday “there should be no doubt left that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea”.

Weather forecasters in California are warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week, as fire crews on the ground race to make progress controlling three wildfires.

Officials warned that after a weekend of relatively calm winds, the notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 60mph (96km/h).

Ahead of the wind’s uptick, some progress has been made in stopping the spread of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning on opposite ends of the city. Local firefighters are being assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, who continue to arrive.

The LA County medical examiner updated the death toll on Sunday to 24, while officials said earlier at least another 16 remain missing.

Sixteen of the dead were found in the Eaton fire zone, while eight were found in the Palisades area.

Three conflagrations continue to burn around Los Angeles.

The largest fire is the Palisades, which has now burnt through more than 23,000 acres and is 11% contained.

The Eaton fire is the second biggest and has burnt through more than 14,000 acres. It is 27% contained.

The Hurst fire has grown to 799 acres and has been almost fully contained.

The wildfires are on track to be among the costliest in US history.

On Sunday, private forecaster Accuweather increased its preliminary estimate of financial losses from the blazes to between $250bn-$275bn.

While crews have managed to start containing the largest fires, authorities have warned the incoming wind event could lead to “potential disastrous wind conditions”, with the whole of LA County put under fire threat.

“Unfortunately, we’re going right back into red flag conditions with some potential disastrous wind conditions between now and Wednesday, with the peak winds expected to be on Tuesday,” Pasadena fire chief Chad Augustin told the BBC.

“While we’re making some progress, the end is not even close yet,” he said.

Kristin Crowley, the fire chief for the city of LA, called for residents near evacuation zones to be prepared to flee if an order is issued, and to stay off the roads as much as possible in order to not hinder crews.

Topanga Canyon resident Alice Husum, 67, told the BBC a new fire that began in the area overnight was quickly contained, but that she and her neighbours are all “dreading Tuesday” when the wind speeds are likely to peak.

But Ms Husum, who has stayed behind despite evacuation orders, notes that the forecast “is a little better than the 100 mile-gusts that were hammering us” earlier in the week.

New fires continued to flare up on Sunday, threatening communities in the San Fernando Valley and near Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

On Sunday, firefighters were able to quickly stop the spread of new fires in the Angeles National Forest, which surround the facility that is at the heart of the US space programme and contains top secret technology.

At least 29 people have been arrested for looting in mandatory evacuation zones. Two people were caught posing as firefighters in order to steal from evacuees.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said in a news conference Sunday he had requested more National Guard troops to bolster the 400 already in the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom has since announced that 1,000 additional members of the National Guard would be deployed.

“When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter. And I asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn’t realise we had him in handcuffs,” Sheriff Luna told reporters.

“We are turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman, and he was not. He just got caught burglarising a home. So those are issues that our front-line deputies and police officers are dealing with.”

There are now 14,000 firefighters in the southern California region, being assisted by 84 aircrafts and 1,354 fire engines, said Sheriff Luna.

Evacuation numbers have dropped, with around 105,000 residents still under mandatory evacuation orders and 87,000 under evacuation warnings.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), told CNN on Sunday that a significant threat remained.

“I know that so many people probably want to get back into the area and check on their homes, but with winds picking back up, you never know which way they’re going to go,” she said.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that limited access had been allowed to evacuated residents over the weekend, but that his officers are once again barring all residents from returning.

Officials have issued repeated orders for drone operators to not fly near fire zones, and are now seeking information after a drone crashed into a vital plane.

The FBI has shared photos of the small drone which on Thursday collided with a plane known as a “Super Scooper”, one of the world’s most affective firefighting aircrafts, briefly grounding it.

The drone ripped a 3-by-6-inch (8-by-15cm) hole in the plane.

Officials have also warned of scammers seeking to take advantage of victims, and issued a stern warning that anyone caught price gouging will be prosecuted.

Meanwhile the spat between California Governor Newsom and President-elect Donald Trump continues.

Trump, who takes office on 20 January and has been invited by the governor to come tour the fire damage, on Saturday blamed “incompetent” politicians for “one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country”.

Newsom, who is a Democrat, has in turn attacked Trump for sharing “inexcusable” misinformation about the fires.

Landlords have been illegally raising prices due to the Los Angeles wildfires, says Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim.

The LA property mogul, who owns the luxury real estate brokerage at the centre of the Netflix reality show, said one client had been asked for thousands over the original asking price to rent a home – despite California’s anti “price gouging” laws.

It comes as LA officials warned anyone caught “taking advantage” of the disaster by scamming or burgling wildfire victims would be prosecuted.

Thousands of people have lost homes in LA and displaced victims say they are facing sky-high rental prices and hotel fees.

Oppenheim said his business, known for selling LA’s most expensive and glamorous homes, was offering its services for free and had received dozens of calls from people who had lost homes.

Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, he described sending a client to visit a property where the landlord had previously been asking for $13,000 per month in rent.

“[My client] offered $20,000 a month and he offered to pay six months upfront and the landlord said ‘I want $23,000’,” he said.

“There are price gouging laws in California, they’re just being ignored right now, and this isn’t the time to be taking advantage of situations.”

The 47-year-old added that the disaster had been “emotional for everyone”.

He said: “Everyone has tears in their eyes all day long, literally from the smoke but also just because it’s emotional to see people struggling like this.”

• Mel Gibson, Jeff Bridges and other LA celebrities lose homes to wildfires
• Watch: Huge clouds of water dumped on LA wildfires
• Follow live updates

California authorities have warned businesses against illegally hiking the price of items more than 10% above their pre-disaster cost.

On Saturday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta also said he had seen landlords raising prices illegally.

“You cannot do it. It is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail and fines,” he said.

“This is California law [and] it’s in place to protect those suffering from a tragedy.”

Retiree Brian, who wanted to be identified by only his first name, had lived in a rent-controlled apartment in the Pacific Palisades for two decades and lost his home in the fires.

The 69-year-old is afraid his pension will not allow him to find a new home in a city where rents have doubled over the last decade.

According to property listings site Zillow, the median rent for properties in LA is $2,800 (£2,295).

“I’m back on the market with tens of thousands of people,” Brian told AFP.

“That doesn’t bode well.”

Price gouging is just one example of the criminality that has emerged amid the disaster, which has killed at least 16 people.

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna warned those thinking of committing burglary or “white collar crime or a scam” that police and prosecutors were watching.

Meanwhile LA police chief Jim McDonnell said “people will go to all ends to be able to do what it is they want to do to exploit the victims of this tragedy”.

Mr McDonnell said there “are a lot of scams” and warned those who want to help to donate “with caution”.

He encouraged people to conduct careful research to find reputable organisations, recommending using resources such as Charity Navigator or the Better Business Bureau, and urged residents to report fraud.

“Together we can prevent further harm and protect the generosity of our community,” he said.

Meanwhile Mr Luna, the county sheriff, said there had so far been approximately 29 arrests amid the fires, including a man posing as a firefighter to burgle a home.

He said police were “eager to prosecute” anyone who had “taken advantage of our residents during this very difficult time” and specifically warned against “white collar” scams.

On Saturday, police in LA said the number of arrests for looting was “continuously growing”.

Yet despite the malfeasance of some, LA mayor Karen Bass said more than 13,000 people have donated over $6m (£4.9m) to California’s Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund since the fires began on Tuesday.

At least 24 people have died in the Los Angeles fires as two major blazes continue to burn across the sprawling Californian city.

Firefighters had made progress by Sunday – containing one smaller fire and nearly containing another – but the two largest blazes are still raging.

With strong winds expected to continue until Wednesday, the fire threat remains “very high”, LA county officials said.

The fires are being marked as the most destructive in the city’s history with officials warning the death toll could rise. Cadaver dogs and crews are continuing to search the scorched rubble of razed homes in neighbourhoods.

The largest fire, in the Palisades, has now burnt through more than 23,000 acres although thousands of firefighters have made some progress in containing about 11% of it.

Crews were doing “everything they can” to stop its spread, said LA City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley on Sunday.

The blaze was moving east, threatening the exclusive neighbourhood of Brentwood, home to the Getty Center, a world-famous art museum that has now evacuated its staff.

Students at the nearby University of California, Los Angeles were also awaiting updates from officials, while classes are being held remotely.

Chief Crowley said favourable winds on Saturday had helped, but warned northerly gusts up to 50mph (80km/h) and low humidity were expected on Sunday.

A red flag warning – indicating a high level of fire danger – will be in place until 18:00 (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, with the strongest Santa Ana winds expected on Tuesday.

• What are Santa Ana winds?

16 of the dead were found in the Eaton fire zone, while eight were found in the Palisades area.

Another 16 people are reported as missing.

As of Sunday, more than 105,000 people were under evacuation orders in Los Angeles County, while another 87,000 face warnings. Those numbers have decreased since Saturday.

More than 12,000 structures – homes, outbuildings, sheds, mobile homes and cars -have been destroyed including 7,000 in the Eaton fire.

The Palisades fire has destroyed about 5,300 structures, including at least 426 houses.

Following reports of looting, authorities say they’re also enforcing a curfew from 18:00 local time (02:00 GMT) to 06:00 within the areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Police have so far made 29 arrests – 25 in the Eaton fire area and four in the Palisades fire zone. These included two individuals caught posing as firefighters and entering properties.

On Saturday night, police arrested one person for curfew violation in the Palisades and six people in Eaton – three for violating curfew and three for additional charges, including carrying a concealed firearm and narcotics-related charges.

About 400 National Guard members have been deployed to help with road closures and critical infrastructure. More were due to arrive on Sunday.

Utility company Southern California Edison also issued public safety power shutoffs – temporarily cutting electricity to reduce fire risk – to more than 26,000 customers in Los Angeles.

About 35,000 homes and businesses in the area were without electricity, according to Poweroutage.us, an outage monitor that tracks blackouts across the US.

LA county remains under a health emergency and smoke advisory, with people directed to stay inside to avoid air pollution.

The fires could turn out to be the costliest in US history, with damage projected at up to $150bn, according to a preliminary estimate by AccuWeather.

Insured losses are expected to be above $8bn (£6.5bn) because of the high value of the properties damaged.

Celebrities who have lost their homes include Mel Gibson, Leighton Meester and Adam Brody, who attended the Golden Globes just days ago, and Paris Hilton.

• Follow live updates as fierce winds threaten more fire destruction
• Watch: Man films escape from fires with elderly father-in-law
• What’s the latest on the LA fires, and why can’t they be put out?
• Maps and images reveal scale of wildfire devastation

There are two active fires in the wider area, while a smaller fire is nearly contained say California fire officials:

• Palisades: The first fire to erupt on Tuesday and the biggest in the region, which could become the most destructive fire in state history. It has scorched more than 23,654 acres, including the upmarket Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. It was 11% contained as of Sunday morning
• Eaton: Affectng the northern part of Los Angeles, blazing through areas such as Altadena. It is the second biggest fire in the area, burning more than 14,000 acres. It is 27% contained
• Hurst: Located just north of San Fernando, it began burning on Tuesday night. It has grown to 799 acres, and is almost fully contained

The earlier Kenneth, Archer, Sunset, Lidia, Woodley and Olivas fires have been contained.

A political row about the city’s preparedness has erupted after it emerged some fire crews’ hoses ran dry.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to hydrants and why the Santa Ynez Reservoir was closed for maintenance and empty when the fire broke out.

“Losing supplies from fire hydrants likely impaired the effort to protect some homes and evacuation corridors,” he wrote.

• Fact-checking criticism of California Democrats over fires

Mayor Karen Bass returned to the city from a previously arranged trip to Ghana to find it on fire. She has faced intense questions about the region’s preparedness, her leadership in this crisis, and the water issues.

On Saturday, she deflected questions about her handling of the emergency, telling a news conference: “Right now, our first and most important obligation to Angelenos is to get through this crisis.”

Before the fires broke out, the city of LA’s fire chief warned in a memo that budget cuts were hampering the department’s ability to respond to emergencies.

Also on Saturday, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone separately denied that his department had been unprepared.

“I did everything in my power to make sure that we had enough personnel and resources before the first fire started,” he said.

“It wasn’t for a lack of preparation or decision-making that resulted in this catastrophe. It was a natural disaster,” Marrone added.

Dismay over the fire threat was worsened by alerts mistakenly sent to every mobile phone in Los Angeles on Thursday, residents say, prompting anger from some. About 10 million people live in the county.

During a news conference on Saturday morning, city authorities blamed a software glitch, which they said was “frustrating, unacceptable”. They said they were changing their alerts system to partner with the California state emergency notification system.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said detectives are continuing to investigate the possible causes.

“Everything is absolutely on the table,” he said.

Lightning – the most common source of fires in the US – has been ruled out as a cause for the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Nor has there been any official indication so far that arson or utility lines – the next two biggest culprits in sparking fires – caused any of the conflagrations.

California’s very wet years of 2022-23 brought about a huge growth of vegetation, which dried out in the drought of last year, creating abundant kindling.

A combination of an exceptionally dry period – downtown Los Angeles has only received 0.16 inches (0.4cm) of rain since October – and powerful offshore gusts known as the Santa Ana winds have also created ripe conditions for wildfires.

BBC weather forecaster Sarah Keith-Lucas says there is no rain forecast in the area for at least the next week.

Although winds were expected to ease slightly later Friday into Saturday, forecasters warned that they would pick up again on Sunday into Monday.

• ‘Where do I go?’ Chaos as people flee flames
• What are the Santa Ana winds?
• Before and after: How wildfires tore through LA

Although strong winds and lack of rain are driving the blazes, experts say climate change is altering the background conditions and increasing the likelihood of such fires.

Much of the western United States including California experienced a decades-long drought that ended just two years ago, making the region vulnerable.

“Whiplash” swings between dry and wet periods in recent years created a massive amount of tinder-dry vegetation that was ready to burn.

US government research is unequivocal in linking climate change to larger and more severe wildfires in the western US.

“Climate change, including increased heat, extended drought, and a thirsty atmosphere, has been a key driver in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the western United States,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.

Fire season in southern California is generally thought to stretch from May to October – but the governor has pointed out earlier that blazes had become a perennial issue. “There’s no fire season,” he said. “It’s fire year.”

• A simple guide to climate change
• Stuck in traffic as flames approached: Why LA is hard to evacuate

Have you been affected by the fires in California? Get in touch here.

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Standing at a lectern at Washington’s National Cathedral last Thursday, Joe Biden delivered the eulogy for former President Jimmy Carter while three other former presidents – Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama – and the once and future president, Donald Trump, looked on.

Each spectating president had achieved the validation of the American people (re-election to a second term) that has eluded Biden. And as Biden, whose term comes to an end next week, paid tribute to Carter, a fellow one-term president, it was hard not to draw other parallels too.

“Many think he was from a bygone era, but in reality, he saw well into the future,” Biden said of Carter. He went on to note Carter’s accomplishments in advancing civil rights, his work on peace and nuclear non-proliferation, and his efforts to protect the environment.

Earlier in the week, however, Biden was making the case for his own legacy and how history should judge him.

“I hope that history says that I came in and I had a plan how to restore the economy and reestablish America’s leadership in the world,” he said in a television interview. “And I hope it records that I did it with honesty and integrity; that I said what was on my mind.”

Whether that happens is subject to vigorous discussion – but he exits the White House with his approval ratings near their lowest mark of his presidency. Only 39% have a positive view, according to the latest Gallup survey, down from 57% at the start of his term.

Next week, the man he defeated in 2020 returns to power, marking what must feel to him like a dour end to a presidency.

Biden had his accomplishments – adroitly shepherding complex investment and infrastructure legislation through Congress despite narrow majorities, strengthening and expanding Nato, and appointing a remarkable number of diverse judges to the federal bench – but at least for now, that is overshadowed.

His current place in history is as the Democratic interregnum between the two Trump presidential terms. A blip, rather than a pivot.

“He’d like his legacy to be that he rescued us from Trump,” says author and Democratic strategist Susan Estrich. “But sadly, for him, his legacy is Trump again. He is the bridge from Trump One to Trump Two.”

It didn’t have to be this way. Biden and his team were buffeted by events – some within his control and some outside it. Many of the most damaging developments were entirely predictable, however – and, in fact, predicted – yet the president and his administration appeared to be caught flat-footed.

For that, they paid a high price.

Biden’s first misstep as president came half a world away, in the chaos that unfolded during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The exit had been negotiated during the final months of the Trump administration, but Biden backed it – despite warnings from some of his military advisors.

Those dire predictions proved prophetic, as Kabul descended into panic and unrest.

By the end of that month, Biden’s Gallup approval rating had dipped below 50% for the first time – a mark it would never again reach.

On the domestic front, the situation for the president was equally inauspicious. By summer, US inflation had surpassed 5% for the first time in 30 years.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that she believed the spike was “transitory”. Biden called it “temporary”. Some outside the administration, most notably Obama’s Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, thought otherwise.

By the time inflation reached its peak a year later, at 9.1% in June 2022, Yellen and Biden had admitted they miscalculated.

Americans did not forget or forgive, however. And although the monthly inflation numbers had dropped below 3% by summer 2024, unemployment remained low, economic growth was steady and the US had outperformed the world’s other industrialised nations, voters continued to have a pessimistic view of the economy.

Other issues followed this pattern: The Biden administration was slow to respond to the post-Covid spike in undocumented migration at the US-Mexico border.

And it was seemingly caught off-guard by the disruptive impact the Republican-backed programme of relocating migrants to Democratic-run northern cities would have on government services far from the border.

Shortages in Covid tests and infant formula, a dramatic increase in the price of eggs, the end of Roe v Wade abortion protections, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza – for every seemingly unanticipated fire the Biden administration addressed, two new ones would emerge.

The challenges were, in fact, daunting – ones that felled incumbent leaders in democracies around the world.

But for Biden and the Democrats, hoping to prove that they were a competent and effective counterpoint not just to Trump but to global authoritarian regimes, the stakes were high.

Amid all of this, responses from the administration were sometimes glaringly off-key. When asked during a television interview about raising oil production in America to reduce gas prices, in November 2021, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm responded with a laugh.

“That is hilarious,” she said. “Would that I had the magic wand.”

Biden – once regarded as a gifted communicator and orator – appeared less able to connect with the American people. Signs of his advancing years were also showing.

“Watching Biden speak, I’m like, oh my God, this is a different person,” said a senior White House official who served in the early years of the Biden administration and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“Maybe it’s simply that when you’re there every day, you don’t see it.”

A report by Robert Hur, a special counsel appointed to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents, referred to the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory”, setting off a round of hand-wringing among Democrats.

Biden’s interactions with the media were curtailed, and his public appearances tightly scripted. His verbal miscues and stumbles became fodder for Republican attacks. But Biden pressed on, determined to seek and win a second term in office.

During his presidency, Biden surrounded himself with veterans of government service. His secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had been one of his top foreign policy advisors since his days in the Senate. Merrick Garland, a distinguished appellate court judge and Barack Obama’s ill-fated 2016 pick for the Supreme Court, was tabbed for attorney general. Yellen, his pick for treasury, had previously chaired the Federal Reserve.

Within the White House, Biden chose Ron Klain – who had worked in Democratic presidential administrations for decades – as his chief of staff. Mike Donilon, another Biden veteran, served as a senior advisor.

The team was particularly successful at managing the narrow majorities in the House and the Senate, notching early legislative victories even in the face of unified Republican resistance and reluctance from centrists in his own party.

Biden’s “American Rescue Plan”, which passed just two months after he took office, included nearly $2 trillion in new government spending. It expanded healthcare subsidies, and funded the distribution of Covid vaccines and a payment programme that cut child poverty in half, to 5%.

Later that year, Democrats and some Republicans joined to pass an infrastructure investment bill, which included $1tn in new spending on transportation, clean energy, water, broadband and other construction programmes.

Others followed, marking a legislative agenda that few first-term presidents in the modern era could match – but it came with what some critics see as a fatal flaw.

Brent Cebul, an associate professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that Biden’s efforts were too focused on shifting policies that take years to translate into economic benefits for average American workers.

“I think that the time horizon associated with those big pieces of legislation was way out of sync with the exigencies of the presidential election,” he said.

Biden would have been better served finding ways to bring the tangible benefits to voters more quickly – a sentiment Biden himself expressed during a recent newspaper interview.

His team also proved less able when success was measured not in laws enacted but in the daily messaging battle against a political opposition that was growing increasingly assertive.

A senior Biden official said that the White House team was more decisive early on in his presidency.

“As things started to become a grind and you lose that sense of getting big things done, it can give way to infighting and frustration,” they admitted, adding that it was their sense that the circle around Biden became more insular as the pressure built.

After a two-year respite, his political opponents launched investigations, held hearings (into the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden family’s business dealings and more) and, in September 2023, formally initiated a presidential impeachment inquiry. All the while, Biden’s public approval languished in the low 40s.

Biden’s presidency should be seen in two halves, says Mr Cebul. The first was more accomplished. The second was less focused.

“Biden’s sense that the US was macro-economically doing quite well led him and his advisors to take their eyes off the ball when many, many Americans were still very much hurting.”

On 25 April, 2023, Biden made his presidential bid official in a campaign video warning that Trump “extremists” were threatening America.

Over the following months, there would be more warnings of the danger Trump posed to American democracy. He would tout his economic plan – embracing the label “Bidenomics” – and point to how inflation was dropping while the economy was still growing.

I travelled with Biden on a June 2023 trip to Chicago, where he held a reception for deep-pocketed donors and gave a speech on the economy in an historic downtown post office.

“Bidenomics is about the future,” he said.”Bidenomics is just another way of saying: Restore the American dream.”

Mr Cebul believes that was a bad move.

“For him to then spend most of the spring and the early summer basically talking about how he’s the most successful economic president in modern history, it was just so discordant,” he said.

“Not only was the message out of sync, he was also just a terrible messenger.”

In Chicago, as in many of his speeches, Biden’s delivery was at times halting. His words sometimes mumbled and his syntax mangled.

Through it all, however, Biden was telling aides that he believed he was the man best positioned to defeat Trump – that he had done it once, and he would do it again. And those aides vigorously pushed back whenever anyone questioned Biden’s abilities.

“I’m not a young guy, that’s no secret,” Biden said in a campaign advert. “But here’s the deal: I understand how to get things done for the American people.”

In the autumn, Biden confronted yet another crisis – following the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, he quickly cautioned Israel not to overreact or overreach in its response to the bloodshed.

As with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the president turned his attention to world affairs. But unlike Ukraine, during which Biden assembled a unified western coalition against the invasion, the continued US support of Israel eroded enthusiasm and support for Biden in some quarters at home.

At the same time, Biden was confronting his son Hunter’s growing legal troubles – a June trial and conviction on gun charges and, perhaps more concerning for the president, an indictment on tax-related violations that involved Hunter’s foreign business dealings.

The airing of family discord and pain was, at the very least, a distraction and an emotional drain on the president. His ultimate decision to pardon his son, made after November’s election, was condemned by many, including some allies.

Ultimately, Biden’s presidential bid – and his presidency – came crashing down in late June on a stage in Atlanta during a debate with Trump. His confused and at times incomprehensible performance dealt his campaign a mortal blow that seemingly confirmed Republican attacks – and Democratic fears – about his advancing age.

But eventually, after Trump defiantly responded to a failed assassination attempt and held a boisterous, unified national party convention in mid-July, Biden dropped out of the race.

Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris, Biden’s hand-picked successor, ensured that the final electoral judgement on Biden’s half-century political career would be one of rejection and defeat.

What would Biden’s legacy have been if he had simply stepped aside – “passed the torch” in his words – without seeking a second term? No video campaign launch. No grasping for campaign messages or Trump debate disaster. Instead, a robust race for the Democratic nomination with Biden floating above it all.

“We should have had primaries,” argues Ms Estrich. “His successor would have had time to make the case.”

In the end, Biden’s age and Trump’s enduring appeal were the fires that his administration could never put out, and the ones that ultimately consumed his presidency.

In exactly one week, Trump will take the oath of office and will likely set about dismantling much of what Biden accomplished over the past four years. How effective he is at doing this will go a long way towards determining Biden’s lasting legacy.

A few weeks ago, I asked Attorney General Garland how he thought history would judge Biden and this administration.

“I’ll leave that to the historians,” he replied.

That, in the end, is all Biden has left.

Millions of people are expected to attend the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela – described as humanity’s biggest gathering – in northern India’s Prayagraj city on Monday.

The event – held once every 12 years – starts on Monday and over the next six weeks, the devout will bathe at Sangam – the confluence of India’s most sacred Ganges river with the Yamuna river and the mythical Saraswati.

Hindus believe that taking a dip in the sacred river will cleanse them of sins, purify their soul and liberate them from the cycle of birth and death – as the ultimate goal of Hinduism is salvation.

About 400 million pilgrims are expected to attend the 45-day spectacle, which is so large it can be seen from space.

On Monday, five to eight million worshippers are expected to bathe while the following day, numbers are expected to exceed 20 million.

Tuesday’s spectacle will be special as it will see ash-smeared naked Hindu holy men with matted dreadlocks, known as Naga sadhus, take a dip in the northern Indian city at dawn.

But authorities are racing against time to get the city ready to host millions who will continue to pour in throughout the festival.

To accommodate the pilgrims and tourists, a vast tent city, sread over 4,000 hectares, has been set up on the banks of the river.

But on Sunday, just hours before proceedings were due to begin, many parts of the sprawling grounds in Prayagraj still appeared to be a work in progress.

Some of the camps set up by saints and other worshippers had no water and intermittent power supplies.

Thousands of toilet cubicles were still yet to be set up and many already installed were unusable because of missing water connections.

Administration official Vivek Chaturvedi told the BBC that organisers were hampered by the fact that this year the monsoon waters took longer to recede which narrowed the window for construction activities.

But, he insisted, “preparations are almost complete and all systems will be in place to welcome the visitors”.

“We have laid 650km (403 miles) of temporary roads and set up tens of thousands of tents and toilets. More than 100,000 people, including over 40,000 police and security officials, are working round-the-clock to make it a success,” Mr Chaturvedi said.

The festival, which concludes on 26 February, has been recognised as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations agency Unesco.

Its origin is rooted in a mythological story about a fight between the gods and demons over a Kumbh (a pitcher) of nectar that emerged during the churning of the ocean.

As the two sides fought over the pot of elixir that promised them immortality, a few drops spilled over and fell in four cities – Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik.

As the fight went on for 12 celestial years – each equal to 12 years on Earth – Kumbh Mela festival is held every 12 years in the four cities. An ardh or a half Kumbh is organised halfway between two festivals.

The mela is organised in all the four cities, but the biggest festivals, where previous attendance records are broken, are always held in Prayagraj.

Hindu seer Mahant Ravindra Puri said the festival this time round was “extra special” and described it as “a Maha [great] Kumbh”.

“That’s because the current alignment of planets and stars is identical to what existed at the moment of the spill,” he told the BBC.

“Such perfection is being observed after 12 Kumbh festivals or 144 years,” he said.

For festival-goers, a major attraction is the presence of naked Naga sadhus, or ascetics, and it is a spectacle to watch as they hurl themselves into the icy waters.

But for the devout, it holds special significance – they believe that the waters get imbued with the purity of the saints’ thoughts and deeds.

Over the weekend, groups of holy men arrived at the mela grounds in large noisy processions.

One group of ash-smeared men, some naked and some dressed in just loin cloth or marigold garland draped around their necks, marched in holding tridents, swords and small two-headed drums.

Another group had its leaders on chariots escorted to their campsite in a large procession with a music band, dancers, horses and camels.

The bathing dates and auspicious times are decided by astrologers, based on the alignment of specific planets and constellations.

There are six particularly auspicious days to bathe this time:

• 13 January: Paush Purnima
• 14 January: Makar Sankranti
• 29 January: Mauni Amavasya
• 3 February: Basant Panchami
• 12 February: Magh Purnima
• 26 February: Maha Shivaratri

Three of these – 14 and 29 January, and 3 February – have been designated as Shahi Snan (or the royal bath) days when the Naga sadhus will bathe.

The largest gathering is expected on 29 January when 50 to 60 million worshippers are expected to take to the waters.

Away from the riverside, the city of Prayagraj has been decked up for the mega event.

Officials said about 200 roads had been widened and a fresh coat of paint had been applied to facades leading to Sangam, while walls have been decorated with colourful paintings and murals depicting stories from Hindu mythological texts.

• Kumbh Mela: Millions of Indians take holy dip
• India transgender gurus in landmark Hindu procession

Tens of thousands of pilgrims, including many from foreign countries, have already reached the city.

Sebastian Diago, visiting as part of a 90-member group from Argentina, said he made the journey to “experience the devotion first hand”.

“I felt the pull of the Ganges so I came,” he said.

“I will bathe in the river because I feel the need to connect with the Ganges.”

• Area: 4,000 hectares
• 160,000 tents
• 40,000 police and security officials
• 15,000 sanitation workers
• 99 parking lots for over half a million vehicles
• 30 floating pontoon bridges over the river
• 67,000 street lights
• 150,000 toilets; 25,000 bins
• 200 water ATMs and 85 tube wells

The Indian government said it was spending 70bn rupees ($812m; £665m) on organising the festival and according to local media reports, the state government will earn a revenue of 250bn rupees ($2.9bn; £2.3bn).

Saints and leaders of big campsites said they understood the complexities of organising a festival on such a large scale, but some pilgrims complained about a lack of facilities.

• Kumbh Mela: How to plan a festival for 100m people
• Kumbh Mela: Lost and found at the world’s biggest gathering

Baba Amarnathji, a 60-year-old saffron-robed monk, showed the BBC a small tent he had set up for himself with cloth and plastic sheets draped over three bamboo poles.

On earlier occasions, he said, he could sleep for free in tents set up by the administration, but this time there was no such facility.

“The police try to chase me away from here. But where will I go? Everyone says this festival is meant for sadhus like me, but I see that all the arrangements are being made for tourists.”

It looked like an ordinary murder.

One hundred years ago on this day – 12 January 1925 – a group of men attacked a couple on a car ride in a upmarket suburb in Bombay (now Mumbai) in colonial India, shooting the man dead and slashing the woman’s face.

But the story that unfolded brought global spotlight on the case, while its complexity put the country’s then British rulers in a spot of bother, and eventually forced an Indian king to abdicate.

Newspapers and magazines described the murder as “perhaps the most sensational crime committed in British India”, and it became “the talk of the city” during the investigation and subsequent trial.

The victim, Abdul Kadir Bawla, 25, was an influential textile businessman and the city’s youngest municipal official. His female companion, Mumtaz Begum, 22, was a courtesan on the run from the harem of a princely state and had been staying with Bawla for the last few months.

On the evening of the murder, Bawla and Mumtaz Begum were in the car with three others, driving in Malabar Hill, an affluent area along the shore of the Arabian Sea. Cars were a rarity in India at the time, and only the rich owned them.

Suddenly, another car overtook them. Before they could react, it collided with theirs, forcing them to stop, according to intelligence and newspaper reports.

The attackers showered expletives on Bawla and shouted “get the lady out”, Mumtaz Begum later told the Bombay High Court.

They then shot Bawla, who died a few hours later.

A group of British soldiers, who had inadvertently taken a wrong turn on their way back from a golf game, heard the gunshots and rushed to the scene.

They managed to catch one of the culprits, but one officer suffered gunshot wounds when an attacker opened fire at them.

Before fleeing, the remaining attackers made two attempts to snatch the injured Mumtaz Begum from the British officers, who were trying to rush her to the hospital.

The newspapers suggested that attackers’ aim was likely abducting Mumtaz Begum, as Bawla – whom she had met while performing in Mumbai a few months earlier and had been living with since – had earlier received several threats for sheltering her.

The Illustrated Weekly of India promised readers exclusive photographs of Mumtaz Begum, while the police planned to issue a daily bulletin to the press, Marathi newspaper Navakal reported.

Even Bollywood found the case compelling enough to adapt it into a silent murder thriller within months.

“The case went beyond the usual murder mystery as it involved a rich and young tycoon, a slighted king, and a beautiful woman,” says Dhaval Kulkarni, author of The Bawla Murder Case: Love, Lust and Crime in Colonial India.

The attackers’ footprints, as speculated in the media, led investigators to the influential princely state of Indore, which was a British ally. Mumtaz Begum, a Muslim, had lived in the harem of its Hindu king, Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar III.

Mumtaz Begum was famed for her beauty. “In her own class, it was said, Mumtaz was without a peer,” KL Gauba wrote in his 1945 book, Famous Trials for Love and Murder.

But the Maharaja’s (king’s) attempts to control her – preventing her from seeing her family alone and keeping her under constant surveillance – soured their relationship, says Kulkarni.

“I was kept under surveillance. I was allowed to see visitors and my relations but somebody always accompanied me,” Mumtaz Begum testified in the court.

In Indore, she gave birth to a baby girl, who died soon after.

“After my child was born, I was unwilling to stay at Indore. I was unwilling because the nurses killed the female child that was born,” Mumtaz Begum told the court.

Within months, she escaped to the northern Indian city of Amritsar, her mother’s place of birth, but troubles followed.

She was watched there too. Mumtaz Begum’s stepfather told the court that the Maharaja wept and begged her to return. But she refused and moved to Bombay, where the surveillance continued.

The trial confirmed what media had speculated following the murder: representatives of the Maharaja had indeed threatened Bawla with dire consequences if he continued to shelter Mumtaz Begum, but he had ignored the warnings.

Following a lead given by Shafi Ahmed, the only attacker captured at the scene, the Bombay police arrested seven men from Indore.

The investigation revealed links to the Maharaja that were hard to ignore. Most of the arrested men were employed by the Indore princely state, had applied for leave around the same time and were in Bombay at the time of the crime.

The murder put the British government in a tough spot. Though it happened in Bombay, the investigation clearly showed the plot was planned in Indore, which had strong ties to the British.

Terming it “the most awkward affair” for the British government, The New Statesman wrote that if it were a minor state, “there would be no particular cause for anxiety”.

“But Indore has been a powerful feudatory of the Raj,” it said.

The British government initially tried to keep mum about the murder’s Indore connection in public. But in private, it discussed the issue with much alarm, communication between the governments of Bombay and British India shows.

Bombay police commissioner Patrick Kelly told the British government that all evidence “points at present to a conspiracy hatched in Indore or by instigation from Indore to abduct Mumtaj [sic] through hired desperadoes”.

The government faced pressure from different sides. Bawla’s community of wealthy Memons, a Muslim community with roots in modern-day Gujarat, raised the issue with the government. His fellow municipal officials mourned his death, saying, “there surely must be something more behind the scene”.

Indian lawmakers demanded answers in the upper house of British India’s legislature and the case was even discussed in the British House of Commons.

Rohidas Narayan Dusar, a former police officer, writes in his book on the murder that the investigators were under pressure to go slow, but that then police commissioner Kelly threatened to resign.

The case drew top lawyers for both the defence and the prosecution when it reached the Bombay High Court.

One of them was Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who would later become the founding father of Pakistan after India’s partition in 1947. Jinnah defended Anandrao Gangaram Phanse, one of the accused and a top general with the Indore army. Jinnah managed to save his client from the death penalty.

The court sentenced three men to death and three to life imprisonment, but it stopped short of holding the Maharaja accountable.

Justice LC Crump, who led the trial, noted, however, that “there were persons behind them [assailants] whom we cannot precisely indicate”.

“But where an attempt is made to kidnap a woman, who was for 10 years the mistress of the Maharaja of Indore, it is not in the least unreasonable to look to Indore as the quarter from which this attack may have emanated,” the judge remarked.

The case’s prominence meant the British government had to act quickly against the Maharaja. They gave him a choice: face a commission of inquiry or abdicate, according to documents presented to parliament in India.

The Maharaja chose to quit.

“I abdicate my throne in favour of my son on the understanding that no further inquiry into my alleged connection with the Malabar Hill Tragedy will be made,” he wrote to the British government.

After abdicating, the Maharaja stirred more controversy by insisting on marrying an American woman against the will of his family and community. Eventually, she converted to Hinduism and they wed, according to a British home department report.

Meanwhile, Mumtaz Begum received offers from Hollywood and later moved to the US to try her luck there. She faded into obscurity after that.

Firefighters are battling to control huge wildfires in Los Angeles that have killed at least 16 people, devoured thousands of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

It’s a rapidly changing situation – these maps and pictures show the scale of the challenge, where the fires are and the damage they have caused.

The largest blaze, in the Pacific Palisades area is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. More than 23,000 acres have now burnt.

Placing the area affected on to maps of New York and London gives a sense of how big that is, stretching from Clapham to Greenwich in the UK’s capital, or across large areas of lower Manhattan and Queens.

Three fires are currently burning in the Los Angeles area.

• Palisades fire: The largest active fire is burning between Santa Monica and Malibu. Burnt area: 23,707 acres.

• Eaton fire: Second largest fire burning north of Pasadena. Burnt area: 14,117 acres.

• Hurst fire: To the north east of the city. Burnt area: 799 acres. It’s 89% contained, according to LA officials.

But other six fires have been contained.

Kenneth fire: In the West Hills area, just north of the Palisades. It has been contained on Sunday afternoon, after burning through 1,052 acres since Thursday.

Lidia fire: Reported in the hills north of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 395 acres.

Archer fire: Small fire that started on Friday and burned through 19 acres.

Woodley fire: Small fire reported in local parkland. Burnt area: 30 acres.

Olivas fire: Small fire first reported in Ventura county about 50 miles (80km) east of Los Angeles. Burnt area: 11 acres.

Sunset fire: Reported in the historic Hollywood Hills area near many famous landmarks, including the Hollywood sign. Burnt area: 43 acres.

Officials say more than 10,000 structures have been destroyed by the two biggest fires – about 5,000 each in the Palisades and Eaton blazes.

As the maps below show, the fires are largely burning uninhabited areas but they have spread into populated areas and many more buildings could be at risk depending on how the infernos spread.

Among the buildings already destroyed in the Palisades blaze are many of the exclusive properties that line the Malibu waterfront.

Slide your cursor across the image below to see an aerial view of what the area used to look like and what it looks like now.

Both the Palisades and Eaton fires can be seen from space, as shown in the satellite image below.

A combination of an exceptionally dry period – downtown Los Angeles has only received 0.16 inches (0.4cm) of rain since October – and powerful offshore gusts known as the Santa Ana winds have created ripe conditions for wildfires.

Santa Ana winds flow east to west through southern California’s mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

Blowing across the deserts further inland, they create conditions where humidity drops, which dries out vegetation. If a fire does start, the winds can fan smouldering embers into an inferno in minutes.

The map below shows just how rapidly the Palisades fire spread, intensifying in a matter of hours. At just after 14:00 on Tuesday it covered 772 acres and within four hours it had approximately tripled in size.

The Palisades fire now covers almost 20,000 acres and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the area, as more than 1,400 firefighters try to tackle the blaze.

The Eaton fire has also grown rapidly from about 1,000 acres on Tuesday to more than 13,000 acres, forcing thousands more people to flee.

• Follow latest updates on the LA wildfires
• What’s the latest on the fires, and what caused them?
• Watch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA
• Timelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfire
• Watch: Inside a neighbourhood totally lost in inferno
• Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire

Photographers have also been capturing the heartbreaking level of damage the fires have caused on the ground – as these before-and-after photos demonstrate.

The Jewish Temple in Pasadena was destroyed by the Eaton fire. The Centre’s website says it has been in use since 1941 and has a congregation of more than 400 families.

With authorities still working to contain the fires, the scope of the losses is still unfolding but they are on track to be among the costliest in US history, with losses already expected to exceed $135bn (£109.7bn).

There is a glimmer of hope for firefighters, as the fire weather outlook for southern California has been downgraded from “extremely critical” to “critical”.

But BBC weather forecaster Sarah Keith-Lucas says there is no rain forecast in the area for at least the next week, so conditions remain ripe for fire.

The annual No Trousers Tube ride has taken place despite plunging temperatures in the capital.

Trouserless passengers were seen across the London Underground network including in Westminster, Waterloo and South Kensington.

Launched in January 2002 with just seven people in New York, it has spread across the world with dozens of people taking part in this year’s event in London.

Creator Charlie Todd told the BBC: “The whole point is just to create unexpected moments of joy, delight and confusion.”

“I’m very happy to see the tradition live on,” he added. “It’s meant to be a bit of harmless fun.

“Certainly, we are living in a climate where people like to have culture war fights and my rule in New York was always that my goal is to amuse other people, to give people a laugh.

“It’s not to be provocative or to irritate someone so hopefully the spirit of that continues.”