It’s hot, dusty and feels like a desert at the Agarak border crossing between Armenia and Iran.

There are dry, rocky mountains surrounding the area – no trees, no shade. It’s not the most welcoming terrain, especially for those who have travelled long hours to reach Armenia.

A woman with a fashionable haircut, with the lower half of her head shaven, is holding her baby, while her husband negotiates a price with taxi drivers. There’s another family of three with a little boy travelling back to their country of residence, Austria.

Most of those crossing into Armenia appeared to have residency or citizenship in other countries. Many were leaving because of the conflict between Israel and Iran, now in its eighth day.

“Today I saw one site where the bombing happened,” said a father standing with a small child near the minivan that they just hired. They had travelled from the north-western town of Tabriz.

“All the people are scared, every place is dangerous, it’s not normal,” he added.

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The conflict began on 13 June, when Israel attacked nuclear and military sites as well as some populated areas.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – a Washington-based human rights organisation that has long tracked Iran – says 657 people have so far been killed. Iran has retaliated with missile attacks on Israel, killing at least 24 people.

Israel says it has established air superiority over Tehran and has told people to leave some of its districts. In recent days, heavy traffic jams have formed on roads out of the city as some of its 10 million residents seek safety elsewhere.

Those who drove to Armenia from Tehran said the journey had taken at least 12 hours. Several told us that they did not see the Israeli strikes – but heard the sound of explosions they caused.

“It was troubling there. Every night, attacks from Israel. I just escaped from there by very hard way. There were no flights, not any other ways come from there,” said a young Afghan man with a single suitcase, who did not want to be named.

He described the situation in Tehran as “very bad”.

“People who have somewhere to go, they are leaving. Every night is like attacking, people cannot sleep, because of the sounds of explosions, the situation is not good at all,” he said.

A young woman with white headscarf and thick fake lashes said she was heading back to her country of residence, Australia.

“I saw something that is very hard, I don’t want to talk about it,” she said as she boarded a car with several others for the onward journey to the Armenian capital Yerevan.

“Someone comes and attacks your country, would you feel normal?”

Some Israeli ministers have talked up the possibility that the conflict could lead to regime collapse in Iran.

But Javad – who had been visiting the north-eastern city of Sabzevar for the summer holidays and was heading back to Germany – said he thought this was unlikely.

“Israel has no chance. Israel is not a friend for us, it’s an enemy,” he said. “Israel cannot come to our home to help us. Israel needs to change something for itself not for us.”

Some Iranians at the border however were crossing were travelling in the other direction. The previous evening, Ali Ansaye, who had been holidaying in Armenia with his family, was heading back to Tehran.

“I have no concerns, and I am not scared at all. If I am supposed to die, I will die in my country,” he said.

He said Israel was “harassing the entire world – Gaza, Lebanon and other countries”.

“How can such a small country have nuclear weapons?” he asked. “Based on which law can this country have a bomb, and Iran, which has only focused on peaceful nuclear energy and not a bomb, cannot?”

Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies this.

Romanian authorities have launched an investigation into British-American influencer Tristan Tate over allegations he broke election laws by posting political content on social media during the country’s recent presidential elections.

The probe, confirmed by police sources, is centred on a social media post that Tate is alleged to have shared on election day and included direct or implicit political messaging, which is illegal in Romania.

Tate, 36, is the younger brother of controversial influencer Andrew Tate, 38, a self-described misogynist. The pair have a combined social media following of over 13 million.

Both are being investigated by Romanian authorities in a separate case in relation to a number of charges, which they deny.

The latest investigation was opened by Ilfov county police after it received an official complaint.

It is alleged that Tate may have tried to influence voters through the social media post, which may constitute offences of foreign election interference and campaigning during restricted periods.

He has been summoned for questioning on Tuesday. Andrew is not involved in this case, according to official sources.

The BBC has contacted Tate’s representatives for comment. He has not issued any public statement regarding the investigation.

But in a video post apparently published on X on the day of the election, Tate says he is “not campaigning” and that as “an American man, using an American platform, in Dubai, to talk about political issues” he is “not subject to Romania’s ‘no campaigning’ law”.

In recent years, the Tate brothers have built a massive online presence on social media. They have attracted frequent criticism over offensive statements about women.

Both were arrested in Romania in December 2022, with Andrew accused of rape and human trafficking and Tristan suspected of human trafficking.

They both denied the charges and spent several months under house arrest. A year and a half later, in August 2024, they faced new allegations in Romania including sex with a minor and trafficking underage persons, all of which they deny.

They are also facing 21 charges in the UK, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking.

At the time of an arrest warrant obtained by Bedfordshire Police in March 2024, the Tates said they “categorically reject all charges” and were “very innocent men”.

A Romanian court ruled that they could be extradited to the UK only once the separate proceedings against them in Romania concluded.

Prosecutors unexpectedly lifted a two-year travel ban earlier this year, after which the brothers travelled from Romania to the US state of Florida by private jet in February 2025.

They returned to Romania in March 2025, telling reporters that “innocent men don’t run from anything”.

More than 200 gunmen on motorbikes have attacked a Niger army base near the border with Mali, leaving at least 34 soldiers dead, the country’s defence ministry said.

The attackers – described by the ministry as “mercenaries” – raided the base in the western town of Banibangou on Thursday, injuring 14 other soldiers.

The ministry said that its forces killed “dozens of terrorists” in the battle.

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

“This Thursday, June 19, a cowardly and barbaric attack was carried out against [the town of] Banibangou by a horde of several hundred mercenaries aboard eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes,” the ministry said in a statement read out on state TV.

It added that the troops were conducting search operations in Banibangou to track down the attackers.

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The town, which lies close to the three-way border between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, is prone to jihadist attacks from Islamist groups.

Niger’s ruling junta has expelled French and US forces that had been heavily involved in the fight against jihadists.

West African neighbours Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali are facing an insurgency from different jihadist groups which operate across the Sahel region.

The three countries have formed an alliance to fight the jihadists and scaled back ties with the West, turning to Russia and Turkey instead for their security needs.

But the violence has continued.

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In an historic vote, MPs have approved a bill which would pave the way for huge social change by giving terminally ill adults in England and Wales the right to end their own lives.

The Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which was backed by 314 votes to 291, will now go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

The bill was approved with a majority of 23 MPs, representing a drop from the first time it was debated in November, when it passed by a margin of 55.

The vote came after an emotionally-charged debate which saw MPs recount personal stories of seeing friends and relatives die.

It is likely, although not guaranteed, that the House of Lords will approve the bill later this year.

If that happens, ministers would have a maximum of four years to implement the measures, meaning it could be 2029 before assisted dying becomes available.

MPs were allowed a free vote on the bill, meaning they did not have to follow a party policy.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer backed the measure, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Health Secretary Wes Streeting voted against.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has shepherded the bill through the Commons and speaking to the BBC after the vote she said she was “over the moon”.

“I know what this means for terminally ill people and their loved ones.”

She added it had been a “particularly emotional week” because it marked nine years since the murder of her sister Jo Cox, who had been a Labour MP at the time.

“Jo used to say if good people don’t step forward and come into politics then what do we end up with?

“And even though some of us feel quite out of place in this place at times we are here to make a difference and we’re here to make positive change that society has asked us to do.”

Critics have argued the bill risks people being coerced into seeking an assisted death but Leadbeater said she was “100% confident” sufficient safeguards were in place.

Conservative MP Danny Kruger, who has been a prominent opponent of the bill, said the majority had been cut in half adding: “It is clear support for this bill is ebbing away fast.”

He said he hoped the House of Lords would either reject the proposed legislation or “substantially strengthen it”.

He argued it would not be unconstitutional for peers to block a bill approved by the democratically-elected House of Commons, pointing out that the proposal had not appeared in Labour’s election manifesto.

However, supporters of the bill have said that they are confident that, although the Lords are likely to amend the bill, it will not be rejected outright.

Any changes made in the House of Lords would have to be approved by MPs, before the bill could become law.

Dame Esther Rantzen, a broadcaster and prominent supporter of the bill, said: “This will make a huge positive difference, protecting millions of terminally ill patients and their families from the agony and loss of dignity created by a bad death.

“Thank you, Parliament.”

On the other side, Baroness and former Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson said she had heard from “disabled people [who] are absolutely terrified” about the bill.

Grey-Thompson, who will get a vote on the bill in the Lords, said she would put forward amendments to make it “as tight as possible” to ensure people could not be coerced.

Jan Noble, head of the hospice charity St Christopher’s, said it was now “vital” the government ensured “high-quality end of life care was available for everyone”.

“For that we need a better funding model for hospices,” she said.

Hundreds of campaigners gathered outside Parliament in the blazing heat to make sure their voices were heard as MPs made up their minds.

Those in favour of the bill had united under the Dignity in Dying campaign, wearing flamingo pink t-shirts, and there were smiles and tears as they shared hugs following the vote.

Pamela Fisher, a lay preacher from the Church of England who supports assisted dying, welcomed the narrow vote in favour, saying she believed the vote was “a major step forward to the creation of a more compassionate society”.

The family of Keith Fenton had been standing on Parliament Square with a placard of the former Squadron Major in his Royal Engineers regalia all morning and were “absolutely delighted” with the result.

Earlier, his widow Sara had explained she told Keith she didn’t want him to go to a Dignitas clinic in Switzerland when he became very ill with Huntington’s disease – but realised she was “being selfish” after Keith tried to take his life.

Reflecting the split among MPs on this issue of conscience, there were also large numbers of people campaigning against the Bill, many with concerns over how to protect vulnerable people.

Sister Doreen Cunningham had been sitting by Westminster Abbey alongside other nuns from the Sisters of Nazareth mission, and said she hoped the Lords would be able to introduce stronger safeguards.

“The MPs did talk about safeguards but they’re far from what we would call safeguards,” she added, as fellow disappointed campaigners consoled themselves by singing quiet hymns.

George Fielding from the secular Not Dead Yet campaign said the vote was “incredibly disappointing” as he believes it will “endanger, foreshorten and I would say kill the most vulnerable people in our society”.

As someone with cerebral palsy, he believes the bill is “ableist” and many of those who end their own lives when they become disabled are experiencing “unprocessed hurt and trauma”.

Sitting by a mock graveside in his wheelchair, George said: “We must ask the Lords to scrutinise this bill line by line to promote other alternatives – palliative care, social care, a better benefits system — to ensure everyone has the right to live a joyful life.”

Before the vote, the House of Commons spent more than three hours debating the general principles of the bill.

Conservative MP James Cleverly said he was struck by the number of medical professional bodies who were neutral on the principle of assisted dying but were opposed to the specific measures in the bill.

“When the people upon whom we rely to deliver this say we are not ready… we should listen,” he said.

Speaking in favour, Labour MP Peter Prinsley said: “There is an absolute sanctity of human life, but we are not dealing with life or death – we are dealing with death or death.

“For there is also a sanctity of human dignity and fundamental to that is surely choice – who are we to deny that to the dying?”

At the start of the day, MPs voted on a series of amendments that had been debated last week.

These included a measure to close the so-called “anorexia loophole” which would stop people qualifying for assisted dying on the basis of life-threatening malnutrition.

MPs backed that amendment as well as one requiring the government to publish a review of palliative care services within a year of the bill passing.

An attempt to block access to assisted dying for people suffering mental health problems or because they feel “burdensome” was defeated by a majority of 53.

A federal judge has ordered Columbia University graduate and activist Mahmoud Khalil to be released on bail, more than three months after he was detained.

Mr Khalil became a symbol of the the Trump administration’s crackdown on universities and foreign students when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him in New York on 8 March.

Mr Khalil was a prominent voice in Columbia’s pro-Palestinian protests last year, and his arrest sparked demonstrations in New York and Washington DC.

US District Judge Michael Farbiarz determined Mr Khalil was not a flight risk or threat to his community, and could be released during immigration proceedings, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Mr Khalil graduated from Columbia while he was in detention. His wife took his place in the ceremony and accepted his diploma on his behalf.

The government has not accused Mr Khalil of a specific crime.

He has been held by ICE under two charges.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely-used portion of the Immigration and Nationality Act to argue Mr Khalil’s presence in the US could pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”

Last week, Judge Farbiarz ruled Rubio’s justification for detaining Mr Khalil was likely unconstitutional and said the US government could not detain or deport the 30-year-old legal US resident under that reasoning.

Attorneys for the Trump administration then said Mr Khalil was being held for a different reason, failing to disclose information when he applied for lawful permanent residency in 2024.

Mr Khalil, who has been held in Louisiana since his arrest, remained in custody.

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Mr Khalil’s attorneys have argued that the government is violating their client’s free speech rights. They also asked the New Jersey federal court to free him on bail or transfer him closer to his wife and baby, who was born during his detention.

Throughout Friday’s nearly two-hour hearing, Judge Farbiarz, who presides in the District of New Jersey, expressed scepticism of the government’s requests to keep Mr Khalil detained while his case moves forward.

He also said Mr Khalil’s arrest and detention on the second charge was “highly unusual.”

“It’s overwhelmingly unlikely that a lawful permanent resident would be held on the remaining charge here,” Judge Farbiarz said, according to CBS News.

He added that “there is an effort to use the immigration charge here to punish the petitioner” for his protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

The ruling paves the way for Mr Khalil to soon leave detention. Under the conditions of his release, he would not have to wear electronic monitoring, and would be given a certified copy of his passport as well as his green card so he can return from Louisiana, CBS News reported.

The government will retain his physical passport. The judge will bar Mr Khalil from international travel but he will be permitted some domestic travel for family reasons and to attend his immigration proceedings.

“No one should fear being jailed for speaking out in this country,” said Alina Das, co-director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law, who appeared in court to argue for his release on Friday. “We are overjoyed that Mr Khalil will finally be reunited with his family while we continue to fight his case in court.”

“After more than three months we can finally breathe a sigh of relief and know that Mahmoud is on his way home to me and Deen, who never should have been separated from his father,” said Mr Khalil’s wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union.

In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accused Mr Khalil of engaging in “fraud and misrepresentation” and “conduct detrimental to American foreign policy interests.”

The White House also maintains that Judge Farbiarz did not have jurisdiction to order Mr Khalil’s release.

“We expect to be vindicated on appeal, and look forward to removing Khalil from the United States,” Ms Jackson said.

Seven men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after two people were assaulted outside the Iranian embassy.

The Met Police have said they believe the altercation happened between protesters supporting and opposing the Iranian monarchy, and there were no links to Israel.

Officers had responded to reports of an altercation in Princes Gate in Knightsbridge, west London, shortly after 09:50 BST on Friday, a force spokesperson said.

Two men were treated for injuries at the scene by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) before one was taken to a major trauma centre and the other to hospital.

Conditions have been put in place to prevent serious disorder, stopping protesters from gathering in the area until 13:00 BST on Sunday.

Seven men, whose ages have not yet been given, remained in police custody, the force said.

An eighth was arrested for breaching the order banning protesters from gathering.

The force had earlier said it believed the altercation had involved only pro-monarchy protesters.

The area has been cordoned off while initial investigations take place.

An LAS spokesperson said: “We were called at 09:56 BST today (June 20) to reports of an assault in Princes Gate.

“We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and our Tactical Response Unit.

“We treated two patients at the scene and took one to hospital and one to a major trauma centre.”

Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, they added.

A number of national embassies are located on or near Prince’s Gate, including the Embassy of The Islamic Republic of Iran.

The BBC says it has decided not to broadcast a documentary about doctors working in Gaza, due to impartiality concerns it has surrounding the production.

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was commissioned by the BBC but produced by an independent production company. It was originally scheduled for broadcast in February, but has not yet aired on any BBC outlet.

In a statement, the BBC said it was “determined to report all aspects of the conflict in the Middle East impartially and fairly”.

Basement Films said it was “relieved that the BBC will finally allow this film to be released”. The BBC confirmed it was “transferring ownership of the film material to Basement Films”.

The production company’s founder, Ben de Pear, said earlier this week the BBC had “utterly failed” and that journalists were “being stymied and silenced”.

BBC News understands the decision to shelve the documentary was taken on Thursday, following public comments by De Pear at the Sheffield Documentary Festival, and another of the film’s directors, journalist Ramita Navai, who appeared on Radio 4’s Today discussing the war in Gaza.

Navai told the programme Israel had “become a rogue state that’s committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing and mass murdering Palestinians”. Israel has denied accusations of war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

A different documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, was pulled from iPlayer earlier this year after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack – also known as Gaza: Medics Under Fire – is said to examine the experiences of Palestinian medics working during the war in Gaza.

The film is directed by Karim Shah, Navai and De Pear, a former editor of Channel 4 News.

In a statement on Friday, the BBC said it had commissioned the documentary over a year ago, but paused the film in April, “having made a decision that we could not broadcast the film while a review into a separate Gaza documentary was ongoing”.

“With both films coming from independent production companies, and both about Gaza, it was right to wait for any relevant findings – and put them into action – before broadcasting the film.

“However, we wanted the doctors’ voices to be heard. Our aim was to find a way to air some of the material in our news programmes, in line with our impartiality standards, before the review was published.

“For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms.

“Yesterday [Thursday], it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions. We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC.”

The corporation added that, contrary to some reports, the documentary had “not undergone the BBC’s final pre-broadcast sign-off processes”, adding: “Any film broadcast will not be a BBC film.”

It continued: “We want to thank the doctors and contributors and we are sorry we could not tell their stories. The BBC will continue to cover events in Gaza impartially.”

In its own statement, Basement Films claimed it had been given “no less than six different release dates” and the film went through a “long and repeated compliance process as well as scrupulous fact checking”.

It continued: “Our argument all along has been to tell the story of the doctors and medics as soon as possible, people whom we convinced to talk to us despite their own reservations that the BBC would ever tell their stories.”

“Although the BBC are now taking their names off this film, it will remain theirs, and we hope it serves to open up the debate on how the nation’s broadcaster covers what is happening in Gaza, and that people feel free to speak up and speak out, rather than stay silent or leave, and at some point get the journalistic leadership they deserve.”

Speaking at the Sheffield Documentary Festival on Thursday, before the decision was announced, De Pear specifically blamed director general Tim Davie for refusing to air the film.

He added: “The BBC’s primary purpose is TV news and current affairs, and if it’s failing on that it doesn’t matter what drama it makes or sports it covers,” he said, as reported by Broadcast. “It is failing as an institution. And if it’s failing on that then it needs new management.

In relation to the war, De Pear claimed staff at the BBC “are being forced to use language they don’t recognise, they are not describing something as it clearly is [for fear of impartiality] and it’s tragic”.

Responding to De Pear’s comments, a BBC spokesperson said the BBC “totally reject[s] this characterisation of our coverage”.

“The BBC has continually produced powerful journalism about this conflict. Alongside breaking news and ongoing analysis, we have produced original investigations such as those into allegations of abuse of Palestinian prisoners and Israel’s use of bunker buster bombs and in-depth documentaries including the award-winning Life and Death in Gaza, and Gaza 101.”

High-profile figures such as actress Susan Sarandon and presenter Gary Lineker have previously accused the corporation of censorship over the delay.

An open letter, which was also signed by cultural figures such as Dame Harriet Walter, Miriam Margolyes, Maxine Peake, Juliet Stevenson and Mike Leigh, said: “This is not editorial caution. It’s political suppression.”

“No news organisation should quietly decide behind closed doors whose stories are worth telling,” it continued.

“This important film should be seen by the public, and its contributors’ bravery honoured.”

Israeli forces have killed 23 Palestinians after opening fire on crowds gathered near an aid distribution site, witnesses and medics say.

Tanks and drones fired at thousands of people near a distribution centre in central Gaza run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the witnesses and medics said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops fired warning shots after people gathered nearby. An Israeli aircraft then struck “several suspects” who the IDF said continued walking towards troops.

The GHF has denied a shooting occurred near its sites. The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in similar incidents since late May.

That is when the GHF took over most aid distribution in Gaza in an attempt by Israel to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid.

The move followed a complete three-month Israeli blockade during which no food entered the territory, putting the entire population at critical risk of famine according to a UN-backed assessment.

In almost all incidents, witnesses have said that Israeli troops opened fire, although there have also been reports of local armed gunmen shooting at people.

A spokesperson for al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat confirmed they received 23 bodies and more than 100 wounded. Images from the hospital showed bodies on the floor.

The IDF said the incident was under review.

The UN children’s agency Unicef said the Israel- and US-backed food distribution system run by GHF was “making a desperate humanitarian situation worse”.

Unicef spokesperson James Elder said a lack of public clarity on when the sites, some of which are in combat zones, were open was leading to mass casualty events.

“There have been instances where information (was) shared that a site is open, but then it’s communicated on social media that they’re closed, but that information was shared when Gaza’s internet was down and people had no access to it,” he told reporters in Geneva.

He said many women and children had been wounded while trying to receive food aid, including a young boy who was wounded by a tank shell and later died.

On Thursday, at least 12 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces while waiting for aid, according to rescuers and medics. The GHF denied there were any incidents near its site. The Israeli military told Reuters that “suspects” had attempted to approach forces in the area of Netzarim, and that soldiers had fired warning shots.

On Tuesday witnesses said more than 50 people were killed when Israeli forces opened fire and shelled an area near a junction to the east of Khan Younis, where thousands of Palestinians had been gathering in the hope of getting flour from a World Food Programme (WFP) site, which also includes a community kitchen nearby. The Israeli military said “a gathering” had been identified “in proximity to IDF troops operating in the area” and the incident was under review.

Unicef also warned that Gaza was facing a man-made drought as its water systems were collapsing. Just 40% of rinking water production facilities were still functioning, Mr Elder said.

“Children will begin to die of thirst,” he said, adding: “We are way below emergency standards in terms of drinking water for people in Gaza.”

In a separate Israeli attack on Friday, a medic with the Palestinian Red Crescent told the BBC that 11 Palestinians were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting a home in the al-Ma’sar area west of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

Eyewitnesses said Israeli warplanes struck a two-storey house belonging to the Ayash family.

Hamas-run civil defence officials say Israel has carried out a wave of deadly air strikes on Gaza in recent days, following a brief lull in air operations that coincided with the escalation between Israel and Iran.

They reported on Thursday that at least 77 Palestinians had been killed in such strikes, which heavily targeted the Shati area in western Gaza City.

Local sources speculated that the renewed strikes may be linked to the targeting of Hamas security elements who have recently re-emerged across parts of Gaza, attempting to reassert control amid a breakdown in law and order. These movements appear to have been timed with the temporary easing of Israeli aerial surveillance due to the simultaneous military focus on Iran.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 55,706 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including more than 15,000 children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

A 12-year-old girl has died and seven other children have been taken to hospital in an outbreak of severe food poisoning centred around a northern French town.

Symptoms began to emerge on 12 June in and around Saint-Quentin, south of Lille, with the children rushed to hospital over the following days.

The cause of the outbreak that has affected children aged 1-12 is yet to be confirmed, but two local butchers have been closed as a precaution as several children are thought to have eaten meat from the shops.

The girl died on Monday from a rare condition called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) linked to acute kidney failure; the most common cause of that is E.coli bacteria.

The latest case was reported on Wednesday evening, the regional health authority in Hauts-de-France said.

All eight children were admitted to hospital with severe digestive symptoms, such as bloody diarrhoea, and five of them had developed HUS, the authority said.

“We have a total of 10 confirmed cases, including one child admitted to hospital in Reims. So, there’s still concern,” local mayor Frédérique Macarez told France Info radio.

Five children are believed to have eaten meat or meat-based products from one butcher in the town, and another child from the second butcher, several days before they came down with symptoms the local prefecture said in a statement on Friday.

The mayor said that they did not have 100% certainty that the poisoning had come from the two butchers, but some of the families involved had occasionally bought meat there.

Samples from both shops have been sent for analysis over the weekend.

In a message posted on Facebook, one of the two butchers whose doors had been shut, La Direction, said the entire team expressed its condolences to the victim’s family and relatives: “It’s with deep sadness that we have learned of recent events at Saint-Quentin.”

Parents have been told not to eat merguez or other sausages and lamb bought from the two shops in early June.

One town butcher said all his meat, marinades and spices had been taken away to be checked on Thursday.

Authorities had earlier ruled out any issues with local tap water, which “can be used for drinking and for all everyday purposes”.

The infectious disease (HUS) is most often caused by E.coli food poisoning, authorities said.

They have also been warned to be vigilant and ensure strict hygiene at home, with authorities advising regular hand-washing, washing of fruit and vegetables, thoroughly cooking meat and separating raw and cooked food.

US singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to an assault charge after an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub two years ago.

The 36-year-old is accused of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) to music producer Abraham Diaw during an incident that prosecutors have described as “unprovoked”.

Brown also faces charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and having an offensive weapon – namely a tequila bottle. Both relate to the same incident, and were added to his indictment ahead of Friday’s hearing.

The judge adjourned arraignment on those two counts, meaning Brown will not have to enter a plea until 11 July. He will face trial for GBH on 26 October, 2026.

The US singer appeared at Southwark Crown Court to deny the charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, hours after playing to thousands of fans at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

Wearing an ocean blue suit and black-rimmed glasses, the musician was silent as he walked past a large group of photographers when he arrived at the court on Friday morning.

Five or six fans were outside the court to offer their support. More crowded into the courtroom to watch the proceedings.

After taking the dock, Brown smiled and winked to a woman in the courtroom, while waiting for His Honour Judge Baumgartner to arrive.

He confirmed his name and date of birth, 5 May 1989, before the judge asked for his plea on the charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. “Not guilty, ma’am,” Brown replied.

Brown’s co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, a 39-year-old American who performs under the name HoodyBaby, also entered a not guilty plea to the charge of attempted grievous bodily harm.

Brown was arrested at the five-star Lowry hotel in Salford, Greater Manchester, last month, after arriving in the UK to prepare for a string of European tour dates.

He was held in custody for almost a week, before being released after agreeing to pay a £5m security fee to the court.

A security fee is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court. Mr Brown could be asked to forfeit the money if he breaches bail conditions.

Under those conditions, Mr Brown must live at an address in the UK while awaiting trial, and was ordered to surrender his passport to police.

However, a plan was put in place allowing him to honour his Breezy Bowl XX world tour dates by surrendering his passport but getting it back when he needs to travel to the gigs.

The first date took place in Amsterdam on 8 June, and the UK leg kicked off last weekend.

On the first night in Manchester on Sunday, he thanked fans “for coming and supporting me”.

“And thank you to the jail,” he joked, referring to his spell in custody. “It was really nice.”

Mr Brown is one of the biggest stars in US R&B, with two Grammy Awards, and 19 top 10 singles in the UK – including hits like Turn Up The Music, Freaky Friday, With You and Don’t Wake Me Up.

Last week, he won the prize for best male R&B/pop artist at the BET Awards in Los Angeles.

A former partner of pop star Rihanna, his latest tour celebrates the 20th anniversary of his self-titled debut album.

Outlining the case against him last month, prosecutors said the alleged victim, Abraham Diaw, was standing at the bar of Soho’s Tape nightclub on 19 February 2023 when Mr Brown launched an “unprovoked attack” in which the complainant was struck several times with a bottle.

She said: “The defendant then pursued him to a separate area of the nightclub where the victim was punched and kicked repeatedly by him and another.”

Brown will follow his court appearance with two dates at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.

His next hearing will take place once the European leg of his tour wraps up.

A selection of the week’s best photos from across the African continent and beyond:

• The women at the centre of Somalia’s construction boom
• ‘No-bra, no-exam’ rule at Nigerian university sparks outrage
• Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya’s police on trial

Dissidents who have fled Alexander Lukashenko’s rule in Belarus have spoken of threats being made against them and their relatives at home.

Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians are estimated to have left their country since the brutal crackdown on widespread opposition protests in 2020, after Lukashenko, 70, claimed victory in presidential elections that were widely condemned as rigged.

Among the exiles was journalist Tatsiana Ashurkevich, 26, who continued to write about events in Belarus. Then, earlier this year, she discovered that the door of her flat in the capital, Minsk, had been sealed up with construction foam.

She guessed immediately who might be to blame. She decided to confront one of her followers on Instagram who had repeatedly messaged her with unsolicited compliments and views about the Belarusian opposition movement and journalism in exile.

“If there are criminal cases [against me], just say so,” she said. “I have nothing to do with that apartment – other people live there. Why are you doing this?”

The man immediately changed his tone to a more official one, saying criminal cases were not his responsibility, but he could ask the relevant department.

Then he made a request: could she, in exchange for help, share information about Belarusians fighting for Ukraine, especially since she had written about them before?

Ashurkevich blocked him.

In Belarus itself, tens of thousands of people have been arrested in the past five years for political reasons, according to human rights group Viasna.

But hundreds of critics of Lukashenko’s 31-year rule have also faced persecution abroad.

Lukashenko and Belarusian state media often accuse opposition activists of “betraying” the country and plotting a coup with assistance from the West. Authorities have justified targeting activists abroad, arguing they are trying to harm national security and overthrow the government.

Several people the BBC has spoken to have received messages and phone calls, sometimes seemingly innocuous, sometimes with thinly veiled threats – or promises with a catch.

Anna Krasulina, 55, receives them so often she has become used to putting her phone in flight mode before going to bed.

“I can see who’s handling me – it’s a couple of people. Or maybe it’s the same one using different accounts,” she says.

She’s convinced the authorities are behind this. Ms Krasulina works as a press secretary for Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, an opposition leader believed by many to have won the 2020 election, now living in exile.

Both women have been sentenced in Belarus to 11 and 15 years respectively in trials held in absentia. Charges included preparing a coup and running an extremist organisation.

Since such trials against exiled political opponents were made possible by a decree by Lukashenko in 2022, more than 200 cases have been opened, according to Viasna, with last year seeing a record number.

This allows authorities to raid the homes of the accused and harass their relatives.

Critics are being identified on photographs and videos made in opposition gatherings abroad.

Many have now stopped taking part in them, fearing for their loved ones who remain in Belarus, says Ms Krasulina.

• My opponents choose jail and exile, claims Lukashenko
• Belarus ruler claims landslide in “sham election”

Several people the BBC spoke to report their relatives being visited by the authorities.

“It’s terrifying when you can’t help them. You can’t go back. You can’t support them,” says one.

None would go on record or even reveal any details anonymously out of concern that their families could be hurt.

Their fears are not unfounded. Artem Lebedko, a 39-year old who worked in real estate, is serving a three-and-a-half year jail sentence for “financing extremism”.

He had never spoken out in public, but his father was an opposition politician living in exile.

Breaking the ties between Belarusians who have fled and those who stayed behind is a deliberate strategy by Lukashenko’s government, says journalist and analyst Hanna Liubakova, also sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison.

“Even if someone in Belarus understands everything, they’ll think three times before talking to a ‘terrorist’,” she says, referring to a list of “extremists and terrorists” which the authorities populate with names of their critics.

The BBC sent a request for comment to the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Some of Liubakova’s own relatives have also received visits from the security services, she says, and property registered in her name has been seized.

Everyone the BBC has spoken to believes the Belarusian authorities are seeking to exert maximum pressure on those who left in order to crush all opposition, wherever it is.

Hanna Liubakova believes the persecution of dissidents stems from Lukashenko’s personal revenge for the 2020 protests: “He wants us to feel unsafe even abroad, to know that we’re being watched.”

One country that has proved particularly unsafe for Belarusian exiles is Russia. According to authorities in Minsk, in 2022 alone Russia extradited 16 people accused of “extremist crimes”, a charge usually associated with Lukashenko critics.

“The methods used by Belarusian security forces are very similar to those of the Soviet KGB, just updated with modern technology, says Andrei Strizhak, head of Bysol, a group that supports Belarusian activists.

Threatening messages or promises of rewards for co-operation may not work on everyone, he adds. But by casting a wide net, the authorities may get a few who agree to share some useful information.

Strizhak calls the regime’s efforts to hunt dissidents abroad a “war of attrition” that leaves many activists exhausted and wishing to get on with their lives.

“We’re doing everything we can to stay resilient,” Strizhak says, “but every year, it takes more and more effort.”

Whether you reckon they are cute, ugly or just plain weird, chances are you have heard of the furry dolls that have become a global sensation – Labubu.

Born a monster, the elf-like creature from Chinese toy maker Pop Mart is now a viral purchase. And it has no dearth of celebrity advocates: Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian and Blackpink’s Lisa. Ordinary folk are just as obsessed – from Shanghai to London, the long queues to snap up the doll have made headlines, sometimes descending into fights even.

“You get such a sense of achievement when you are able to get it among such fierce competition,” says avowed fan Fiona Zhang.

The world’s fascination with Labubu has almost tripled Pop Mart’s profits in the past year – and, according to some, even energised Chinese soft power, which has been bruised by the pandemic and a strained relationship with the West.

So, how did we get here?

It’s a question that still bothers many – and even those who know the answer are not entirely sure they can explain the craze.

Labubu is both a fictional character and a brand. The word itself doesn’t mean anything. It’s the name of a character in “The Monsters” toy series created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung.

The vinyl faces are attached to plush bodies, and come with a signature look – pointy ears, big eyes and a mischievous grin showing exactly nine teeth. A curious yet divided internet can’t seem to decide if they are adorable or bizarre.

According to its retailer’s official website, Labubu is “kind-hearted and always wants to help, but often accidentally achieves the opposite”.

The Labubu dolls have appeared in several series of “The Monsters”, such as “Big into Energy”, “Have a Seat”, “Exciting Macaron” and “Fall in Wild”.

The Labubu brand also has other characters from its universe, which have inspired their own popular dolls – such as the tribe’s leader Zimomo, her boyfriend Tycoco and her friend Mokoko.

To the untrained eye, some of these dolls are hard to distinguish from one another. The connoisseurs would know but Labubu’s fame has certainly rubbed off, with other specimens in the family also flying off the shelves.

A major part of Pop Mart’s sales were so-called blind boxes – where customers only found out what they had bought when they opened the package – for some years when they tied up with Kasing Lung for the rights to Labubu.

That was 2019, nearly a decade after entrepreneur Wang Ning opened Pop Mart as a variety store, similar to a pound shop, in Beijing. When the blind boxes became a success, Pop Mart launched the first series in 2016, selling Molly dolls – child-like figurines created by Hong Kong artist Kenny Wong.

But it was the Labubu sales that fuelled Pop Mart’s growth and in December 2020, it began selling shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Those shares have soared by more than 500% in the last year.

Pop Mart itself has now become a major retailer. It operates more than 2,000 vending machines, or “roboshops”, around the world. And you can now buy Labubu dolls in stores, physical or virtual, in more than 30 countries, from the US and UK to Australia and Singapore, although many of them have recently paused sales due to overwhelming demand. Sales from outside mainland China contributed to nearly 40% of its total revenue in 2024.

In a sign of just how popular Labubus have become, Chinese customs officials said this week that they had seized more than 70,000 fake dolls in recent days.

The demand did not rise overnight though. It actually took a few years for the elfin monsters to break into the mainstream.

Before the world discovered Labubu, their fame was limited to China. They started to become a hit just as the country emerged from the pandemic in late 2022, according to Ashley Dudarenok, founder of China-focused research firm ChoZan.

“Post-pandemic, a lot of people in China felt that they wanted to emotionally escape… and Labubu was a very charming but chaotic character,” she says. “It embodied that anti-perfectionism.”

The Chinese internet, which is huge and competitive, produces plenty of viral trends that don’t go global. But this one did and its popularity quickly spread to neighbouring South East Asia.

Fiona, who lives in Canada, says she first heard about Labubu from Filipino friends in 2023. That’s when she started buying them – she says she finds them cute, but their increasing popularity is a major draw: “The more popular it gets the more I want it.

“My husband doesn’t understand why me, someone in their 30s, would be so fixated on something like this, like caring about which colour to get.”

It helps that it’s also affordable, she adds. Although surging demand has pushed up prices on the second-hand market, Fiona says the original price, which ranged from 25 Canadian dollars ($18; £14) to 70 Canadian dollars for most Labubu dolls, was “acceptable” to most people she knows.

“That’s pretty much how much a bag accessory would cost anyway these days, most people would be able to afford it,” she says.

Labubu’s popularity soared in April 2024, when Thai-born K-pop superstar Lisa began posting photos on Instagram with various Labubu dolls. And then, other global celebrities turned the dolls into an international phenomenon this year.

Singer Rihanna was photographed with a Labubu toy clipped to her Louis Vuitton bag in February. Influencer Kim Kardashian shared her collection of 10 Labubu dolls with her Instagram following in April. And in May, former England football captain Sir David Beckham also took to Instagram with a photo of a Labubu, given to him by his daughter.

Now the dolls feel ubiquitous, regularly spotted not just online but also on friends, colleagues or passers-by.

Put simply, we don’t know. Like most viral trends, Labubu’s appeal is hard to explain – the result of timing, taste and the randomness that is the internet.

Beijing is certainly happy with the outcome. State news agency Xinhua says Labubu “shows the appeal of Chinese creativity, quality and culture in a language the world can understand”, while giving everyone the chance to see “cool China”.

Xinhua has other examples that show “Chinese cultural IP is going global”: the video game Black Myth: Wukong and the hit animated film Nezha.

Some analysts seem surprised that Chinese companies – from EV makers and AI developers to retailers – are so successful despite Western unease over Beijing’s ambitions.

“BYD, DeepSeek, all of these companies have one very interesting thing in common, including Labubu,” Chris Pereira, founder and chief executive of consultancy firm iMpact, told BBC News.

“They’re so good that no one cares they’re from China. You can’t ignore them.”

Meanwhile, Labubu continue to rack up social media followers with millions watching new owners unbox their prized purchase. One of the most popular videos, posted in December, shows curious US airport security staff huddling around a traveller’s unopened Labubu box to figure out which doll is inside.

That element of surprise is a big part of the appeal, says Desmond Tan, a longtime collector, as he walks around a Pop Mart store in Singapore vigorously shaking blind boxes before deciding which one to buy. This is a common sight in Pop Mart.

Desmond collects “chaser” characters, special editions from Pop Mart’s various toy series, which include Labubu. On average, Desmond says, he finds a chaser in one out of every 10 boxes he buys. It’s a good strike rate, he claims, compared to the typical odds: one in 100.

“Being able to get the chaser from shaking the box, learning how to feel the difference…,” is deeply satisfying for him.

“If I can get it in just one or two tries, I’m very happy!”

Last Friday, Israel launched massive air strikes on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with barrages of missiles.

In a video message that day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Iranian people that in addition to Israel’s aim of thwarting Iran’s nuclear programme, “we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom”.

Some sections of Iran’s splintered opposition have rallied behind Netanyahu’s call. Others are mistrustful of his objective.

There are no official opposition groups inside Iran, where authorities have long cracked down on dissent, including a wave of mass executions and imprisonments in the 1980s.

Since then, most opposition groups have operated from abroad, including two of the most organised groups: the pro-monarchy supporters of Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran, and the exiled Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MEK/MKO).

It has become increasingly difficult for journalists to contact people inside Iran, due to the authorities restricting access to the internet and social media.

We have managed to speak to several young Iranians who oppose the regime – and have protested against it in the past – in recent days, however.

Their names have been changed for their safety as the Iranian authorities frequently imprison opponents in an attempt to suppress dissent.

Tara, 26, told the BBC that when Israel issues evacuation warnings ahead of strikes, authorities shut off internet access “so that people don’t find out and the death toll rises”.

Checkpoints and toll stations are also set up, she says, accusing authorities of “deliberately” creating traffic, which “encourages people to stay in targeted areas”.

“Talking about patriotism, unity, and standing up to the enemy is absurd. The enemy has been killing us slowly for decades. The enemy is the Islamic Republic!”

The Israeli military has been issuing evacuation warnings via Telegram and X, which are banned in Iran. Coupled with limited internet access, this means it’s difficult for Iranians to see the warnings.

Sima, 27, tells us she does not care about this anymore.

“I wish Israel would get the job done as soon as possible. I’m exhausted. Although I’m still not a fan of Israel or what it’s doing, I hope they’d finish what they’ve started.

“Wishful thinking, I know. But I want them to rid us and the world of the threat of the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei and ayatollahs as a whole.”

Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, including the powerful IRGC, which is tasked with defending the Islamic system and overseeing Iran’s ballistic missiles. The recent Israeli strikes have killed many senior IRGC figures, including its commander, Hossein Salami.

Some people we spoke to were even more forceful in their support for Israel’s attacks.

Amir, 23, said he supported them “100%”. Asked why, he said he believed no-one else was prepared to take on the regime.

“Not the UN, not Europe, not even us. We tried, remember? And they killed us in the streets. I’m joyful when the people who’ve crushed our lives finally taste fear. We deserve that much.”

Amir is referencing the widespread protests in Iran following the death of Masha Amini. The 22-year-old died in police custody in 2022 after being arrested for allegedly violating rules requiring women to wear the headscarf.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group reported that 537 protesters were killed by state security forces during the unrest. The government’s official line is that “security forces acted with responsibility”, blaming the deaths on violent protesters or foreign agitators.

The rallying cry of the protests – “woman, life, freedom” – was repeated by Netanyahu on Friday in both English and Persian, as he urged Iranians to “stand up and let your voices be heard”.

Iran has not officially responded to the Israeli prime minister’s calls, but some hardliners and media figures have mocked and dismissed the remarks. Meanwhile, authorities have warned against sharing campaigns and statements by Israeli and US officials.

Some opponents of the Islamic Republic are suspicious of Netanyahu’s intentions, however.

“I participated in the protests [in 2022] because I had hope for a regime change then. I just don’t see how the regime could be overthrown in this conflict without Iran itself being destroyed in the process,” said Navid, a 25-year-old activist who was briefly arrested during the protests.

“Israel is killing ordinary people as well. At some point, people will start to take the side of the Islamic Republic,” he added.

Darya, 26, said: “I think the fact that people are not coming out to protest is already a clear response” to Netanyahu’s call.

“I wouldn’t go even if Israel bombed my house. Netanyahu is hiding behind Iranian nationalist slogans and pretends he’s helping Iranians reach freedom while he’s targeted residential areas. It’s going to take years just to rebuild the country.”

Arezou, 22, said she did not know what to think.

“I hate the regime, and I hate what it’s done to us. But when I see bombs falling, I think of my grandmother, my little cousin. And I’ve seen what Netanyahu did to Gaza – do you really think he cares about Iranians? This isn’t about us, it’s about [Israeli] politics,” she said.

“I feel like I have to choose between two evils, and I can’t. I just want my people safe. I want to breathe without fear.”

Mina, 27, said: “I want this regime gone more than anything – but not like this. Not through more bombs, more death.”

“Israel is not our saviour. When innocent people die, it’s not a step toward freedom, it’s another form of injustice. I don’t want to trade one kind of terror for another. I’m against this regime and also against this war. We deserve a better way out than this.”

In recent weeks, 28 people in the north-east of England have been left with potentially fatal botulism after having anti-wrinkle injections believed to have been fake. Such reactions are usually so rare hospitals stock very little anti-toxin and they were in danger of running out.

On one night in June, five people were in an accident and emergency department (A&E) in Durham suffering from serious adverse effects of anti-wrinkle injections – Nicola Fairley was one of them.

Within days of having what she was told was a Botox jab, but which turned out to be an illegal copy, her throat began closing up, an eye swelled shut and one side of her face started to droop. She could not smile, struggled to eat and swallow, felt exhausted and was desperate to sleep.

The 37-year-old mother of four from Bishop Auckland in County Durham told staff she had been given injections and was unwell.

“They got the doctor to see me within five minutes and started some tests there and then,” Mrs Fairley recalls.

Of the 28 people, mostly in the Durham and Darlington areas, who have found themselves in a similar position, four others ended up in the same hospital on the same night as Mrs Fairley.

In an average year, the University Hospital of North Durham usually sees no cases at all of botulism that require treatment. Only six were recorded in the whole of England in 2023-24.

Since being approached by the BBC the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has set up an investigation.

Botulinum toxin is widely used to reduce facial wrinkles and treat muscle conditions. While cosmetic practitioners do not need to be licensed, the drug does. Only seven brands are licensed in the UK, with Botox the most well known.

When used correctly the amounts are small and side effects are rare. But unregulated toxin, or larger quantities, can attack the nerves and cause botulism, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes paralysis.

Mrs Fairley had anti-wrinkle injections before, paying £100 for three areas, but then won a round of treatment from the same provider in a competition. She was told it was a stronger type of the toxin and again had three areas injected.

She says she had no idea this treatment was illegal.

Within two hours her forehead was “frozen”, although genuine cosmetic injections should take several days to start working with the full effect visible after two weeks.

Of those in A&E at the same time, some had used the same practitioner as Mrs Fairley. They were all diagnosed with botulism and one doctor told the group they had never seen that many people with the condition at the same time.

It is so rare, hospitals do not typically keep large quantities of the anti-toxin – made from horse blood – that is used to stop the toxin spreading further.

North Durham was already trying to source anti-toxin drugs from other hospitals as there had been a spate of cases in the days before Mrs Fairley and the others arrived in A&E.

In an internal communication seen by the BBC, a hospital leader said: “We’ve just about exhausted all stock of the antitoxin from local holders (Newcastle, Carlisle and Leeds) and have 10 more coming from London.”

They were “bracing” themselves for more patients.

The MHRA told the BBC it was investigating allegations surrounding the illegal sale and supply of fake “Botox-type” products in the North East.

Chief safety officer Dr Alison Cave said the body’s criminal enforcement unit “works hard to identify those involved in the illegal trade in medicines”.

Buying anti-wrinkle injections and other medicines from illegal suppliers significantly increased the risk of getting a product which is either “falsified or not authorised” for use in the UK, she said.

An aesthetic doctor based in Newcastle, Steven Land, believes anti-wrinkle injections in three areas for less than £150 is very cheap and this could suggest the supplier was using an illegal toxin.

Dr Land, who has also worked in A&E, said he was contacted weekly by “fake pharmacies” offering to sell him the toxins for such small amounts he “knows they’re illegal”.

Genuine injections were “very safe if done properly” but called for the industry to be regulated, he said. As things stand it is not regulated at all, with anyone able to provide cosmetic injections.

“Your provider should be able to show you the product they are using and be happy to answer any of your questions – and have the answers,” he said.

Dr Land said he had been fearing a botulism outbreak for years, noticing more and more businesses in the region offering injections that were suspiciously cheap.

An investigation into the cause of the recent cases of botulism is being led by the UK Health Security Agency with partners including Durham County Council’s public health team.

Director of public health Amanda Healy said they were urging anyone with symptoms to seek treatment.

An incident management team had been set up to deal with the issue and they were working out if the cause of these incidents of botulism was the “type of toxin used or the way it was used”, she said.

Mrs Fairley says the business owner who gave her the injections has apologised.

“I know she hasn’t done this on purpose,” Mrs Fairley says. “I just don’t know where people get it from – it’s scary.

“There needs to be more rules and stricter guidelines on who can do it – not just anybody who can go and do a course and just do it.

“There’s that many people who do it – it’s part of your beauty regime like getting your nails done or your hair.”

What happened, and the continuing side effects, has put Mrs Fairley off having cosmetic injections again. She urges anyone considering it to ask questions about the product and make sure it has been properly prescribed.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said people’s lives were being put at risk by “inadequately trained operators in the cosmetic sector” and said this was why the government was looking into new regulations.

“We urge anyone considering cosmetic procedures to consider the possible health impacts and find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner,” a spokesperson said.

Two people are dead after a rockfall struck several hikers in the Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

Another three people were reported injured, as rescuers continue the search for potential survivors. Authorities have not said if anyone is missing.

The first victim, a 70-year-old woman from Calgary was found on Thursday. The second was discovered on Friday, according to a joint statement from Parks Canada and Lake Louise Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail is six miles (9 km) long and runs along Bow Lake. It is classified as a moderate hiking challenge.

The conditions of the three injured people who were taken to hospital on Thursday have been upgraded to stable, the RCMP said on Friday.

The rockfall happened on Thursday afternoon north of Lake Louise, a tourist town 124 miles (200 km) northwest of Calgary, Alberta.

“We are all heartbroken by the recent tragedy at Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park. On behalf of Parks Canada, my thoughts are with the families and friends of those who are affected,” Ron Hallman, president and CEO of Parks Canada, said.

Videos of the incident shared online show a large rock falling down a mountainside and large clouds of dust rising up.

Bow Lake is now closed and a no-fly order was put in place over the area as the search continues.

“We are thinking of all those involved and wishing for their safety as we await further details,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a social media post.

Niclas Brundell witnessed the rockfall as he was hiking in the area with his wife.

“We heard this like ‘chunk’ noise and the whole roof of the wall came loose,” he told CBC News. “And we just started sprinting down. I was yelling at my wife, ‘Go, go, go! We need to run as fast as we can.

“We just kept sprinting and I couldn’t see the people behind us anymore because they were all in that cloud of rock. And I saw rocks coming tumbling out of that. So it was big. It was, like, the full mountainside.”

Mr Brundell estimated there were15 to 20 people in the area at the time of the rockfall.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is yet to decide whether flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the Air India flight that crashed last Thursday will be sent overseas for decoding and analysis.

At least 270 people, most of them passengers, were killed when the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in western India.

Some media outlets reported that the black boxes are being sent abroad, but the ministry of civil aviation clarified that no final decision has been made.

The ministry said the AAIB will determine the location for analysis after a “due assessment of technical, safety, and security factors”.

Investigators have recovered both sets of Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs) – the “black boxes” – from the Boeing 787 crash site.

These combined units, which record flight data and cockpit audio, were found on 13 and 16 June. The aircraft model carries two such sets to aid in thorough analysis.

Data recorders track with high precision the position of gear and flap levers, thrust settings, engine performance, fuel flow and even fire handle activation.

The data in the plane’s “black boxes” can be used to reconstruct the flight’s final moments and determine the cause of the incident.

However, some media outlets reported that the recorders had been badly damaged in the fire that engulfed the plane after the crash, making it difficult to extract the data in India and that the government was planning to send the recorders to the US.

Captain Kishore Chinta, a former accident investigator with the AAIB, told the BBC one set of recorders could be also sent to the US “to compare the data downloaded in India with that provided to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)”.

He said although the new AAIB lab in Delhi was inaugurated in April, “it’s unclear whether it is fully operational for EAFR data downloads”.

Meanwhile, Air India’s chairman has said that one of the engines of the Air India plane that crashed last week was new, while the other was not due for servicing until December.

In an interview with Times Now news channel, N Chandrasekaran said that both engines of the aircraft had “clean” histories.

Separately, the airline said that inspections have been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, all of which have been “cleared for service”.

India’s aviation regulator had ordered additional safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet after the deadly crash as a “preventive measure”.

On Thursday, the airline announced that its flights will be reduced on 16 international routes and suspended on three overseas destinations between 21 June and 15 July.

“The reductions arise from the decision to voluntarily undertake enhanced pre-flight safety checks, as well as accommodate additional flight durations arising from airspace closures in the Middle East,” the airline said in a statement.

The announcement came a day after the carrier said it would temporarily reduce flights operated with wide-body planes by 15%.

The family of Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu says he will be buried in South Africa in a private ceremony following a row with the government over the funeral arrangements.

Late on Thursday, President Hakainde Hichilema cut short a period of national mourning after Lungu’s family refused to allow his body to be repatriated from South Africa as planned. His funeral had been set for Sunday in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.

The family now says it will announce later when Lungu will be buried in Johannesburg in “dignity and peace”.

It will be the first time a former head of state of another country is buried in South Africa.

In his will, Lungu said that Hichilema, his long-time rival, should not attend his funeral.

The government and his family later agreed he would have a state funeral before relations broke down over the precise arrangements.

• Funeral row causes chaos for mourners of Zambia’s ex-president

“We wish to announce that the funeral and burial of our beloved Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu will take place here in South Africa, in accordance with the family’s wishes for a private ceremony,” family spokesperson Makebi Zulu said in a statement.

Mr Zulu thanked the South African government for “non-interference” and honouring the family’s decision and desire during “this deeply emotional period”.

In his address on Thursday, President Hichilema said that Lungu, as a former president, “belongs to the nation of Zambia” and his body should therefore “be buried in Zambia with full honours, and not in any other nation”.

However, because of the row, he announced an immediate end to the mourning period, saying the country needed to “resume normal life”.

“The government has done everything possible to engage with the family of our departed sixth president,” he said.

The national mourning period initially ran from 8 to 14 June but was later extended until 23 June, with flags flying at half-mast and radio stations playing solemn music.

President Hichilema and senior officials had been prepared to receive Lungu’s coffin with full military honours on Wednesday.

However, Lungu’s family blocked the repatriation of his remains at the last minute, saying the government had reneged on its agreement over the funeral plans.

The opposition Patriotic Front (PF), the party Lungu led until his death, has stood with the family over the funeral plans.

“The government has turned a solemn occasion into a political game,” said PF acting president Given Lubinda. “This is not how we treat a former head of state.”

Civil society groups have called for an urgent resolution of the matter, with a section of religious leaders saying the stand-off was “hurting the dignity of our country”.

“We appeal for humility, dialogue, and a resolution that honours the memory of the former president while keeping the nation united,” said Emmanuel Chikoya, head of the Council of Churches in Zambia.

Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died earlier this month in South Africa where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.

After six years as head of state, Lungu lost the 2021 election to Hichilema by a large margin. He stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray.

He had ambitions to vie for the presidency again but at the end of last year the Constitutional Court barred him from running, ruling that he had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law.

Despite his disqualification from the presidential election, he remained hugely influential in Zambian politics and did not hold back in his criticism of his successor.

• ‘My son is a drug addict, please help’ – the actor breaking a Zambian taboo
• An ancient writing system confounding myths about Africa
• Zambia president orders ministers to stop sleeping in cabinet

The BBC is threatening to take legal action against an artificial intelligence (AI) firm whose chatbot the corporation says is reproducing BBC content “verbatim” without its permission.

The BBC has written to Perplexity, which is based in the US, demanding it immediately stops using BBC content, deletes any it holds, and proposes financial compensation for the material it has already used.

It is the first time that the BBC – one of the world’s largest news organisations – has taken such action against an AI company.

In a statement, Perplexity said: “The BBC’s claims are just one more part of the overwhelming evidence that the BBC will do anything to preserve Google’s illegal monopoly.”

It did not explain what it believed the relevance of Google was to the BBC’s position, or offer any further comment.

The BBC’s legal threat has been made in a letter to Perplexity’s boss Aravind Srinivas.

“This constitutes copyright infringement in the UK and breach of the BBC’s terms of use,” the letter says.

The BBC also cited its research published earlier this year that found four popular AI chatbots – including Perplexity AI – were inaccurately summarising news stories, including some BBC content.

Pointing to findings of significant issues with representation of BBC content in some Perplexity AI responses analysed, it said such output fell short of BBC Editorial Guidelines around the provision of impartial and accurate news.

“It is therefore highly damaging to the BBC, injuring the BBC’s reputation with audiences – including UK licence fee payers who fund the BBC – and undermining their trust in the BBC,” it added.

Chatbots and image generators that can generate content response to simple text or voice prompts in seconds have swelled in popularity since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in late 2022.

But their rapid growth and improving capabilities has prompted questions about their use of existing material without permission.

Much of the material used to develop generative AI models has been pulled from a massive range of web sources using bots and crawlers, which automatically extract site data.

The rise in this activity, known as web scraping, recently prompted British media publishers to join calls by creatives for the UK government to uphold protections around copyrighted content.

• What is AI, and how do chatbots like ChatGPT and DeepSeek work?

In response to the BBC’s letter, the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) – which represents over 300 media brands – said it was “deeply concerned that AI platforms are currently failing to uphold UK copyright law.”

It said bots were being used to “illegally scrape publishers’ content to train their models without permission or payment.”

It added: “This practice directly threatens the UK’s £4.4 billion publishing industry and the 55,000 people it employs.”

Many organisations, including the BBC, use a file called “robots.txt” in their website code to try to block bots and automated tools from extracting data en masse for AI.

It instructs bots and web crawlers to not access certain pages and material, where present.

But compliance with the directive remains voluntary and, according to some reports, bots do not always respect it.

The BBC said in its letter that while it disallowed two of Perplexity’s crawlers, the company “is clearly not respecting robots.txt”.

Mr Srinivas denied accusations that its crawlers ignored robots.txt instructions in an interview with Fast Company last June.

Perplexity also says that because it does not build foundation models, it does not use website content for AI model pre-training.

The company’s AI chatbot has become a popular destination for people looking for answers to common or complex questions, describing itself as an “answer engine”.

It says on its website that it does this by “searching the web, identifying trusted sources and synthesising information into clear, up-to-date responses”.

It also advises users to double check responses for accuracy – a common caveat accompanying AI chatbots, which can be known to state false information in a matter of fact, convincing way.

In January Apple suspended an AI feature that generated false headlines for BBC News app notifications when summarising groups of them for iPhones users, following BBC complaints.

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China’s military has called a British warship’s recent passage through the Taiwan Strait a disruptive act of “intentional provocation” that “undermines peace and stability”.

The British Royal Navy says HMS Spey’s patrol on Wednesday was part of a long-planned deployment and was in accordance with international law.

The patrol – the first by a British naval vessel in four years – comes as a UK carrier strike group arrives in the region for a deployment that will last several months.

China considers Taiwan its territory – a claim that self-ruled Taiwan rejects – and has not ruled out the use of force to “reunify” the island.

A spokesman from China’s navy criticised the UK for “publicly hyping up” the journey of HMS Spey, and said the UK’s claims were “a distortion of legal principles and an attempt to mislead the public”.

“Such actions are intentional provocations that disrupt the situation and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.

It added that it had monitored HMS Spey throughout its journey in the strait, and Chinese troops “will resolutely counter all threats and provocations”.

Later, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said that while China respects other countries’ rights to sail through the Taiwan Strait, it also “firmly opposes any country using the name of freedom of navigation to provoke and threaten China’s sovereign security.”

Taiwan’s foreign ministry has meanwhile praised the patrol as an act that safeguarded the freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait.

While American warships regularly conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the strait, the last time such a journey was undertaken by a British naval vessel was in 2021 when the warship HMS Richmond was deployed to Vietnam.

That transit was similarly condemned by China, which had sent troops to monitor the ship.

HMS Spey is one of two British warships permanently on patrol in the Indo-Pacific.

Its passage through the Taiwan Strait comes as a UK carrier strike group, led by HMS Prince of Wales’ aircraft carrier, arrives in the Indo-Pacific region for an eight-month stint.

British PM Keir Starmer has described it as one of the carrier’s largest deployments this century that is aimed at “sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies”.

Around 4,000 UK military personnel are taking part in the deployment.

The group will be engaging with 30 countries through military operations and visits, and conduct exercises with the US, India, Singapore and Malaysia.

Cross-strait tensions between China and Taiwan have heightened over the past year since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who champions a firm anti-Beijing stance, took office.

He has characterised Beijing as a “foreign hostile force” and introduced policies targeting Chinese influence operations in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, China continues to conduct frequent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, including a live-fire exercise in April that it claimed simulated strikes on key ports and energy facilities.

China’s latest criticism of HMS Spey’s transit comes as two Chinese aircraft carriers conduct an unprecedented simultaneous military drill in the Pacific off the waters of Japan, which has alarmed Tokyo.

It’s hot, dusty and feels like a desert at the Agarak border crossing between Armenia and Iran.

There are dry, rocky mountains surrounding the area – no trees, no shade. It’s not the most welcoming terrain, especially for those who have travelled long hours to reach Armenia.

A woman with a fashionable haircut, with the lower half of her head shaven, is holding her baby, while her husband negotiates a price with taxi drivers. There’s another family of three with a little boy travelling back to their country of residence, Austria.

Most of those crossing into Armenia appeared to have residency or citizenship in other countries. Many were leaving because of the conflict between Israel and Iran, now in its eighth day.

“Today I saw one site where the bombing happened,” said a father standing with a small child near the minivan that they just hired. They had travelled from the north-western town of Tabriz.

“All the people are scared, every place is dangerous, it’s not normal,” he added.

• Live updates

The conflict began on 13 June, when Israel attacked nuclear and military sites as well as some populated areas.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – a Washington-based human rights organisation that has long tracked Iran – says 657 people have so far been killed. Iran has retaliated with missile attacks on Israel, killing at least 24 people.

Israel says it has established air superiority over Tehran and has told people to leave some of its districts. In recent days, heavy traffic jams have formed on roads out of the city as some of its 10 million residents seek safety elsewhere.

Those who drove to Armenia from Tehran said the journey had taken at least 12 hours. Several told us that they did not see the Israeli strikes – but heard the sound of explosions they caused.

“It was troubling there. Every night, attacks from Israel. I just escaped from there by very hard way. There were no flights, not any other ways come from there,” said a young Afghan man with a single suitcase, who did not want to be named.

He described the situation in Tehran as “very bad”.

“People who have somewhere to go, they are leaving. Every night is like attacking, people cannot sleep, because of the sounds of explosions, the situation is not good at all,” he said.

A young woman with white headscarf and thick fake lashes said she was heading back to her country of residence, Australia.

“I saw something that is very hard, I don’t want to talk about it,” she said as she boarded a car with several others for the onward journey to the Armenian capital Yerevan.

“Someone comes and attacks your country, would you feel normal?”

Some Israeli ministers have talked up the possibility that the conflict could lead to regime collapse in Iran.

But Javad – who had been visiting the north-eastern city of Sabzevar for the summer holidays and was heading back to Germany – said he thought this was unlikely.

“Israel has no chance. Israel is not a friend for us, it’s an enemy,” he said. “Israel cannot come to our home to help us. Israel needs to change something for itself not for us.”

Some Iranians at the border however were crossing were travelling in the other direction. The previous evening, Ali Ansaye, who had been holidaying in Armenia with his family, was heading back to Tehran.

“I have no concerns, and I am not scared at all. If I am supposed to die, I will die in my country,” he said.

He said Israel was “harassing the entire world – Gaza, Lebanon and other countries”.

“How can such a small country have nuclear weapons?” he asked. “Based on which law can this country have a bomb, and Iran, which has only focused on peaceful nuclear energy and not a bomb, cannot?”

Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies this.

In an historic vote, MPs have approved a bill which would pave the way for huge social change by giving terminally ill adults in England and Wales the right to end their own lives.

The Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which was backed by 314 votes to 291, will now go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

The bill was approved with a majority of 23 MPs, representing a drop from the first time it was debated in November, when it passed by a margin of 55.

The vote came after an emotionally-charged debate which saw MPs recount personal stories of seeing friends and relatives die.

It is likely, although not guaranteed, that the House of Lords will approve the bill later this year.

If that happens, ministers would have a maximum of four years to implement the measures, meaning it could be 2029 before assisted dying becomes available.

MPs were allowed a free vote on the bill, meaning they did not have to follow a party policy.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer backed the measure, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Health Secretary Wes Streeting voted against.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has shepherded the bill through the Commons and speaking to the BBC after the vote she said she was “over the moon”.

“I know what this means for terminally ill people and their loved ones.”

She added it had been a “particularly emotional week” because it marked nine years since the murder of her sister Jo Cox, who had been a Labour MP at the time.

“Jo used to say if good people don’t step forward and come into politics then what do we end up with?

“And even though some of us feel quite out of place in this place at times we are here to make a difference and we’re here to make positive change that society has asked us to do.”

Critics have argued the bill risks people being coerced into seeking an assisted death but Leadbeater said she was “100% confident” sufficient safeguards were in place.

Conservative MP Danny Kruger, who has been a prominent opponent of the bill, said the majority had been cut in half adding: “It is clear support for this bill is ebbing away fast.”

He said he hoped the House of Lords would either reject the proposed legislation or “substantially strengthen it”.

He argued it would not be unconstitutional for peers to block a bill approved by the democratically-elected House of Commons, pointing out that the proposal had not appeared in Labour’s election manifesto.

However, supporters of the bill have said that they are confident that, although the Lords are likely to amend the bill, it will not be rejected outright.

Any changes made in the House of Lords would have to be approved by MPs, before the bill could become law.

Dame Esther Rantzen, a broadcaster and prominent supporter of the bill, said: “This will make a huge positive difference, protecting millions of terminally ill patients and their families from the agony and loss of dignity created by a bad death.

“Thank you, Parliament.”

On the other side, Baroness and former Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson said she had heard from “disabled people [who] are absolutely terrified” about the bill.

Grey-Thompson, who will get a vote on the bill in the Lords, said she would put forward amendments to make it “as tight as possible” to ensure people could not be coerced.

Jan Noble, head of the hospice charity St Christopher’s, said it was now “vital” the government ensured “high-quality end of life care was available for everyone”.

“For that we need a better funding model for hospices,” she said.

Hundreds of campaigners gathered outside Parliament in the blazing heat to make sure their voices were heard as MPs made up their minds.

Those in favour of the bill had united under the Dignity in Dying campaign, wearing flamingo pink t-shirts, and there were smiles and tears as they shared hugs following the vote.

Pamela Fisher, a lay preacher from the Church of England who supports assisted dying, welcomed the narrow vote in favour, saying she believed the vote was “a major step forward to the creation of a more compassionate society”.

The family of Keith Fenton had been standing on Parliament Square with a placard of the former Squadron Major in his Royal Engineers regalia all morning and were “absolutely delighted” with the result.

Earlier, his widow Sara had explained she told Keith she didn’t want him to go to a Dignitas clinic in Switzerland when he became very ill with Huntington’s disease – but realised she was “being selfish” after Keith tried to take his life.

Reflecting the split among MPs on this issue of conscience, there were also large numbers of people campaigning against the Bill, many with concerns over how to protect vulnerable people.

Sister Doreen Cunningham had been sitting by Westminster Abbey alongside other nuns from the Sisters of Nazareth mission, and said she hoped the Lords would be able to introduce stronger safeguards.

“The MPs did talk about safeguards but they’re far from what we would call safeguards,” she added, as fellow disappointed campaigners consoled themselves by singing quiet hymns.

George Fielding from the secular Not Dead Yet campaign said the vote was “incredibly disappointing” as he believes it will “endanger, foreshorten and I would say kill the most vulnerable people in our society”.

As someone with cerebral palsy, he believes the bill is “ableist” and many of those who end their own lives when they become disabled are experiencing “unprocessed hurt and trauma”.

Sitting by a mock graveside in his wheelchair, George said: “We must ask the Lords to scrutinise this bill line by line to promote other alternatives – palliative care, social care, a better benefits system — to ensure everyone has the right to live a joyful life.”

Before the vote, the House of Commons spent more than three hours debating the general principles of the bill.

Conservative MP James Cleverly said he was struck by the number of medical professional bodies who were neutral on the principle of assisted dying but were opposed to the specific measures in the bill.

“When the people upon whom we rely to deliver this say we are not ready… we should listen,” he said.

Speaking in favour, Labour MP Peter Prinsley said: “There is an absolute sanctity of human life, but we are not dealing with life or death – we are dealing with death or death.

“For there is also a sanctity of human dignity and fundamental to that is surely choice – who are we to deny that to the dying?”

At the start of the day, MPs voted on a series of amendments that had been debated last week.

These included a measure to close the so-called “anorexia loophole” which would stop people qualifying for assisted dying on the basis of life-threatening malnutrition.

MPs backed that amendment as well as one requiring the government to publish a review of palliative care services within a year of the bill passing.

An attempt to block access to assisted dying for people suffering mental health problems or because they feel “burdensome” was defeated by a majority of 53.

A 12-year-old girl has died and seven other children have been taken to hospital in an outbreak of severe food poisoning centred around a northern French town.

Symptoms began to emerge on 12 June in and around Saint-Quentin, south of Lille, with the children rushed to hospital over the following days.

The cause of the outbreak that has affected children aged 1-12 is yet to be confirmed, but two local butchers have been closed as a precaution as several children are thought to have eaten meat from the shops.

The girl died on Monday from a rare condition called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) linked to acute kidney failure; the most common cause of that is E.coli bacteria.

The latest case was reported on Wednesday evening, the regional health authority in Hauts-de-France said.

All eight children were admitted to hospital with severe digestive symptoms, such as bloody diarrhoea, and five of them had developed HUS, the authority said.

“We have a total of 10 confirmed cases, including one child admitted to hospital in Reims. So, there’s still concern,” local mayor Frédérique Macarez told France Info radio.

Five children are believed to have eaten meat or meat-based products from one butcher in the town, and another child from the second butcher, several days before they came down with symptoms the local prefecture said in a statement on Friday.

The mayor said that they did not have 100% certainty that the poisoning had come from the two butchers, but some of the families involved had occasionally bought meat there.

Samples from both shops have been sent for analysis over the weekend.

In a message posted on Facebook, one of the two butchers whose doors had been shut, La Direction, said the entire team expressed its condolences to the victim’s family and relatives: “It’s with deep sadness that we have learned of recent events at Saint-Quentin.”

Parents have been told not to eat merguez or other sausages and lamb bought from the two shops in early June.

One town butcher said all his meat, marinades and spices had been taken away to be checked on Thursday.

Authorities had earlier ruled out any issues with local tap water, which “can be used for drinking and for all everyday purposes”.

The infectious disease (HUS) is most often caused by E.coli food poisoning, authorities said.

They have also been warned to be vigilant and ensure strict hygiene at home, with authorities advising regular hand-washing, washing of fruit and vegetables, thoroughly cooking meat and separating raw and cooked food.

Less than 40 seconds.

That’s how long Air India Flight 171 was airborne before it plunged into a densely populated neighbourhood in Ahmedabad in one of India’s most baffling aviation disasters in recent memory.

Investigators now face the grim task of sifting through the wreckage and decoding the cockpit voice and flight data recorders of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to piece together what went catastrophically wrong in the seconds after take-off. Under international rules set by the UN aviation body ICAO, a preliminary investigation report should be released within 30 days, with the final report ideally completed within 12 months.

The London Gatwick-bound aircraft, piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar, lifted off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad at 13:39 local time (08:09 GMT) on Thursday, with 242 people and nearly 100 tonnes of fuel on board. Within moments, a mayday call crackled from the cockpit. It would be the last transmission. This was followed by a loss of altitude and a crash engulfed in flames.

• What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds?

Captain Kishore Chinta, a former investigator with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), calls this “the rarest of the rare” crashes – a controlled flight into terrain just 30 seconds after take-off. “To my knowledge, nothing quite like this has ever happened,” he told the BBC.

Did both engines fail due to bird strikes or fuel contamination? Were the flaps improperly extended, reducing lift on a heavily loaded jet in extreme heat? Was there a maintenance error during engine servicing? Or did an inadvertent crew action cut off fuel to both engines?

Investigators will be probing all these possibilities – and more. Air crash investigations rely on triangulation and elimination – matching physical evidence from the wreckage with recorded aircraft performance data to build a coherent picture of what went wrong.

Every scorched cable, damaged turbine blade, aeroplane maintenance log, and signals and sounds from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders – the so-called “black box” – will be examined. The BBC spoke to accident experts to understand how the investigation will proceed.

Critically, the first clues on the ground may come from the wreckage of the two engines, at least three investigators said.

“You can tell from the damage whether the engines were generating power at impact – turbines fracture differently when spinning at high speed,” says Peter Goelz, a former managing director of US’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). “That’s the first clue to what went wrong.”

Turbines are crucial rotating components that play a key role in extracting energy to generate thrust.

“If the engines weren’t producing power, investigators have a serious case on their hands – and the focus will shift sharply to the cockpit.”

What happened in the cockpit will be revealed by the Boeing 787’s Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs) – or the “black boxes” – which, investigators say, will help tell the story. (Indian officials say the recorders have been recovered from the crash site.)

These devices capture extensive flight data and cockpit audio – from pilot radio calls to ambient cockpit sounds. Voice recordings come from individual pilot mics, radio transmissions and an area microphone that picks up background noise in the cockpit.

Data recorders track with high precision the position of gear and flap levers, thrust settings, engine performance, fuel flow and even fire handle activation.

“If the flight data recorder shows the engines were making full power, then the attention will move to the flaps and slats. If they are found to be extended as needed, then it becomes a very difficult investigation,” says Mr Goelz.

Flaps and slats increase lift at lower speeds, helping an aircraft take off and land safely by allowing it to fly slower without stalling.

“If [the trail leads] to a problem in the flight management control system, that would raise serious concerns – not just for Boeing, but for the entire aviation industry.”

The Boeing 787’s flight management control system is a highly automated suite that manages navigation, performance and guidance. It integrates data from a number of sensors to optimise the aircraft’s flight path and fuel efficiency.

With over 1,100 Boeing 787s flying worldwide since 2011, investigators must determine whether this was a systemic issue that could affect the global fleet – or a one-off failure unique to this flight, experts say. “If it points to a system problem, then the regulatory bodies have to make some tough decisions very quickly,” says Mr Goelz.

So far, there is no indication of fault on anyone’s part. India’s civil aviation ministry said on Tuesday that a recent inspection of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet – 24 of 33 aircraft have been checked so far – “did not reveal any major safety concern,” adding that the planes and maintenance systems complied with existing standards.

Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg said on 12 June: “Boeing will defer to India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for information on Air India Flight 171, in line with UN ICAO protocol.”

Decoding of the data at the AAIB lab in Delhi will be led by Indian investigators, with experts from Boeing, engine-maker GE, Air India and Indian regulators. Investigators from the NTSB and UK will also be participating.

“In my experience, teams can usually determine what happened fairly quickly,” Mr Goelz says. “But understanding why it happened can take much longer.”

The wreckage may yield other clues. “Every part – wire, nut, bolt – will be meticulously collected,” says Mr Chinta.

Typically, wreckage is moved to a nearby hangar or secure facility, laid out to identify the nose, tail and wingtips, and then pieced together. In this case, depending on what the flight data and voice recorders reveal, a full reconstruction may not be necessary, investigators say.

The importance of wreckage varies by accident, say investigators. For Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, shot down over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, it was crucial – reconstruction of the nose revealed clear shrapnel damage from a Russia-made missile.

In the wreckage, investigators will also examine fuel filters, lines, valves and residual fuel to check for contamination – something that’s easy to detect or rule out, a crash investigator who preferred to remain unnamed, said. Also, he believed that the refuelling equipment used before departure “has likely been quarantined and already inspected”.

That’s not all. Investigators will gather maintenance and fault history records from the airline and Boeing’s ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting system) which transmits data via radio or satellite to both Boeing and Air India, says Mr Chinta.

They will review all flights operated by the aircraft and the crew over recent months, along with the technical log of pilot-reported faults and corrective actions taken before release of aircraft to service.

Investigators will also examine pilot licences, training records, simulator performance and instructor remarks – including how pilots handled scenarios like engine failures in advanced flight simulators. “I reckon Air India would have already provided these records to the investigation team,” says Mr Chinta.

Investigators will review the service history of all components of the aircraft that were removed and replaced, examining reported defects for any recurring issues – or signs of problems that could have affected this flight.

“These investigations are extraordinarily complex. They take time, but there will be early indicators of what likely went wrong,” says Mr Goelz.

A big reason is how far technology has come. “One of the first accidents I investigated in 1994 had a flight data recorder tracking just four parameters,” he says.

“Today’s recorders capture hundreds – if not thousands – every second. That alone has transformed the way we investigate crashes.”

A federal judge has ordered Columbia University graduate and activist Mahmoud Khalil to be released on bail, more than three months after he was detained.

Mr Khalil became a symbol of the the Trump administration’s crackdown on universities and foreign students when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him in New York on 8 March.

Mr Khalil was a prominent voice in Columbia’s pro-Palestinian protests last year, and his arrest sparked demonstrations in New York and Washington DC.

US District Judge Michael Farbiarz determined Mr Khalil was not a flight risk or threat to his community, and could be released during immigration proceedings, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Mr Khalil graduated from Columbia while he was in detention. His wife took his place in the ceremony and accepted his diploma on his behalf.

The government has not accused Mr Khalil of a specific crime.

He has been held by ICE under two charges.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely-used portion of the Immigration and Nationality Act to argue Mr Khalil’s presence in the US could pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”

Last week, Judge Farbiarz ruled Rubio’s justification for detaining Mr Khalil was likely unconstitutional and said the US government could not detain or deport the 30-year-old legal US resident under that reasoning.

Attorneys for the Trump administration then said Mr Khalil was being held for a different reason, failing to disclose information when he applied for lawful permanent residency in 2024.

Mr Khalil, who has been held in Louisiana since his arrest, remained in custody.

• Who is Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian student activist facing US deportation?
• US resumes student visas but orders enhanced social media vetting

Mr Khalil’s attorneys have argued that the government is violating their client’s free speech rights. They also asked the New Jersey federal court to free him on bail or transfer him closer to his wife and baby, who was born during his detention.

Throughout Friday’s nearly two-hour hearing, Judge Farbiarz, who presides in the District of New Jersey, expressed scepticism of the government’s requests to keep Mr Khalil detained while his case moves forward.

He also said Mr Khalil’s arrest and detention on the second charge was “highly unusual.”

“It’s overwhelmingly unlikely that a lawful permanent resident would be held on the remaining charge here,” Judge Farbiarz said, according to CBS News.

He added that “there is an effort to use the immigration charge here to punish the petitioner” for his protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

The ruling paves the way for Mr Khalil to soon leave detention. Under the conditions of his release, he would not have to wear electronic monitoring, and would be given a certified copy of his passport as well as his green card so he can return from Louisiana, CBS News reported.

The government will retain his physical passport. The judge will bar Mr Khalil from international travel but he will be permitted some domestic travel for family reasons and to attend his immigration proceedings.

“No one should fear being jailed for speaking out in this country,” said Alina Das, co-director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law, who appeared in court to argue for his release on Friday. “We are overjoyed that Mr Khalil will finally be reunited with his family while we continue to fight his case in court.”

“After more than three months we can finally breathe a sigh of relief and know that Mahmoud is on his way home to me and Deen, who never should have been separated from his father,” said Mr Khalil’s wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union.

In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accused Mr Khalil of engaging in “fraud and misrepresentation” and “conduct detrimental to American foreign policy interests.”

The White House also maintains that Judge Farbiarz did not have jurisdiction to order Mr Khalil’s release.

“We expect to be vindicated on appeal, and look forward to removing Khalil from the United States,” Ms Jackson said.

More than 200 gunmen on motorbikes have attacked a Niger army base near the border with Mali, leaving at least 34 soldiers dead, the country’s defence ministry said.

The attackers – described by the ministry as “mercenaries” – raided the base in the western town of Banibangou on Thursday, injuring 14 other soldiers.

The ministry said that its forces killed “dozens of terrorists” in the battle.

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

“This Thursday, June 19, a cowardly and barbaric attack was carried out against [the town of] Banibangou by a horde of several hundred mercenaries aboard eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes,” the ministry said in a statement read out on state TV.

It added that the troops were conducting search operations in Banibangou to track down the attackers.

• The region with more ‘terror deaths’ than rest of world combined
• Niger military leaders to nationalise uranium firm

The town, which lies close to the three-way border between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, is prone to jihadist attacks from Islamist groups.

Niger’s ruling junta has expelled French and US forces that had been heavily involved in the fight against jihadists.

West African neighbours Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali are facing an insurgency from different jihadist groups which operate across the Sahel region.

The three countries have formed an alliance to fight the jihadists and scaled back ties with the West, turning to Russia and Turkey instead for their security needs.

But the violence has continued.

• WATCH: How has Niger changed since the coup?
• Three military-run states leave West African bloc – what will change?
• ‘I thought I would die’ – freed captive tells BBC of life in West African jihadist base
• PODCAST: The Sahel’s coup contagion

The home secretary will move to proscribe the Palestine Action group in the coming weeks, effectively branding them as a terrorist organisation, the BBC understands.

Yvette Cooper is preparing a written statement to put before Parliament on Monday – which if passed will make becoming a member of the group illegal.

The decision comes as a security review begins at military bases across the UK, after pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed two military planes with red paint.

A spokesperson for Palestine Action said: “When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action.”

In a separate post on X, it said the group represented “every individual” who is opposed to Israel’s military action in Gaza, adding: “If they want to ban us, they ban us all”.

Under UK law, the home secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 if they believe it is “concerned with terrorism”.

To enact the move, new legislation will be needed, which must be debated and approved by both MPs and peers.

There are currently 81 groups proscribed as terrorist organisations in the UK under the Terrorism Act.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the move to ban the group was “absolutely the correct decision”.

“We must have zero tolerance for terrorism,” she wrote in a post on X.

But Amnesty International UK said it was “deeply concerned at the use of counter terrorism powers to target protest groups.”

“Terrorism powers should never have been used to aggravate criminal charges against Palestine Action activists and they certainly shouldn’t be used to ban them,” it added in a post on X.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier condemned Friday’s incident as “disgraceful”.

The group’s actions sparked outrage among some MPs, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick calling for the group to be banned.

South East counter terrorism police earlier confirmed its specialist officers were investigating the incident alongside Thames Valley Police and the Ministry of Defence.

Counter-terrorism police added the incident happened in the early hours of Friday and that enquiries were “ongoing to establish the exact circumstances”.

Footage posted online by Palestine Action showed two people inside the Oxfordshire airbase in darkness, with one riding on a scooter up to an Airbus Voyager and spraying paint into its jet engine.

After sharing the footage, a spokesperson said: “Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets.”

Greg Bagwell – a former RAF deputy commander and now a distinguished fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) – told the BBC the aircraft targeted by the group “do not do what these protesters think they do. They’re largely used for moving passengers or fuel”.

He added that Voyagers had “the wrong connectors” that would stop them being used to help refuel Israeli or US jets, as the action group suggested.

But he said if the activists “wanted to create an effect, they’ve clearly done that”.

Since the start of the current war in Gaza, Palestine Action has engaged in activities that have predominantly targeted arms companies. In May, it claimed responsibility for the daubing of a US military plane in Ireland.

RAF Brize Norton serves as the hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The air force has conducted reconnaissance flights over Gaza out of the Cyprus base.

The founder of instant messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, says the more than 100 children he has fathered will share his estimated $13.9bn (£10.3bn) fortune.

“They are all my children and will all have the same rights! I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death,” Mr Durov told French political magazine Le Point.

Mr Durov claimed he is the “official father” of six children with three different partners, but the clinic “where I started donating sperm fifteen years ago to help a friend, told me that more than 100 babies had been conceived this way in 12 countries.”

He also reiterated that he denies any wrongdoing in connection with serious criminal charges he faces in France.

The self-exiled Russian technology tycoon also told the magazine that his children would not have access to their inheritance for 30 years.

“I want them to live like normal people, to build themselves up alone, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create, not to be dependent on a bank account,” he said.

The BBC has approached Mr Durov for comment.

The 40-year-old said he had written a will now because his job “involves risks – defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states”.

His app, Telegram, known for its focus on privacy and encrypted messaging, has more than a billion monthly active users.

Mr Durov also addressed criminal charges he faces in France, where he was arrested last year after being accused of failing to properly moderate the app to reduce criminality.

He has denied failing to cooperate with law enforcement over drug trafficking, child sexual abuse content and fraud. Telegram has previously denied having insufficient moderation.

In the Le Point interview he described the charges as “totally absurd”.

“Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn’t make those who run it criminals,” he added.

Russian-born Mr Durov now lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based. He holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates.

The founder of VKontakte said in 2014 that he had been fired from the Russian social network after refusing requests from the Kremlin to censor posts.

He founded Telegram in 2013, and the app remains popular in Russia.

Telegram allows groups of up to 200,000 members, which critics have argued makes it easier for misinformation to spread, and for users to share conspiracist, neo-Nazi, paedophilic, or terror-related content.

In the UK, the app was scrutinised for hosting far-right channels that were instrumental in organising the violent disorder in English cities last summer.

Telegram did remove some groups, but overall its system of moderating extremist and illegal content is significantly weaker than that of other social media companies and messenger apps, according to cybersecurity experts.

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Two people are dead after a rockfall struck several hikers in the Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

Another three people were reported injured, as rescuers continue the search for potential survivors. Authorities have not said if anyone is missing.

The first victim, a 70-year-old woman from Calgary was found on Thursday. The second was discovered on Friday, according to a joint statement from Parks Canada and Lake Louise Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail is six miles (9 km) long and runs along Bow Lake. It is classified as a moderate hiking challenge.

The conditions of the three injured people who were taken to hospital on Thursday have been upgraded to stable, the RCMP said on Friday.

The rockfall happened on Thursday afternoon north of Lake Louise, a tourist town 124 miles (200 km) northwest of Calgary, Alberta.

“We are all heartbroken by the recent tragedy at Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park. On behalf of Parks Canada, my thoughts are with the families and friends of those who are affected,” Ron Hallman, president and CEO of Parks Canada, said.

Videos of the incident shared online show a large rock falling down a mountainside and large clouds of dust rising up.

Bow Lake is now closed and a no-fly order was put in place over the area as the search continues.

“We are thinking of all those involved and wishing for their safety as we await further details,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a social media post.

Niclas Brundell witnessed the rockfall as he was hiking in the area with his wife.

“We heard this like ‘chunk’ noise and the whole roof of the wall came loose,” he told CBC News. “And we just started sprinting down. I was yelling at my wife, ‘Go, go, go! We need to run as fast as we can.

“We just kept sprinting and I couldn’t see the people behind us anymore because they were all in that cloud of rock. And I saw rocks coming tumbling out of that. So it was big. It was, like, the full mountainside.”

Mr Brundell estimated there were15 to 20 people in the area at the time of the rockfall.

The BBC says it has decided not to broadcast a documentary about doctors working in Gaza, due to impartiality concerns it has surrounding the production.

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was commissioned by the BBC but produced by an independent production company. It was originally scheduled for broadcast in February, but has not yet aired on any BBC outlet.

In a statement, the BBC said it was “determined to report all aspects of the conflict in the Middle East impartially and fairly”.

Basement Films said it was “relieved that the BBC will finally allow this film to be released”. The BBC confirmed it was “transferring ownership of the film material to Basement Films”.

The production company’s founder, Ben de Pear, said earlier this week the BBC had “utterly failed” and that journalists were “being stymied and silenced”.

BBC News understands the decision to shelve the documentary was taken on Thursday, following public comments by De Pear at the Sheffield Documentary Festival, and another of the film’s directors, journalist Ramita Navai, who appeared on Radio 4’s Today discussing the war in Gaza.

Navai told the programme Israel had “become a rogue state that’s committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing and mass murdering Palestinians”. Israel has denied accusations of war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

A different documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, was pulled from iPlayer earlier this year after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack – also known as Gaza: Medics Under Fire – is said to examine the experiences of Palestinian medics working during the war in Gaza.

The film is directed by Karim Shah, Navai and De Pear, a former editor of Channel 4 News.

In a statement on Friday, the BBC said it had commissioned the documentary over a year ago, but paused the film in April, “having made a decision that we could not broadcast the film while a review into a separate Gaza documentary was ongoing”.

“With both films coming from independent production companies, and both about Gaza, it was right to wait for any relevant findings – and put them into action – before broadcasting the film.

“However, we wanted the doctors’ voices to be heard. Our aim was to find a way to air some of the material in our news programmes, in line with our impartiality standards, before the review was published.

“For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms.

“Yesterday [Thursday], it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions. We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC.”

The corporation added that, contrary to some reports, the documentary had “not undergone the BBC’s final pre-broadcast sign-off processes”, adding: “Any film broadcast will not be a BBC film.”

It continued: “We want to thank the doctors and contributors and we are sorry we could not tell their stories. The BBC will continue to cover events in Gaza impartially.”

In its own statement, Basement Films claimed it had been given “no less than six different release dates” and the film went through a “long and repeated compliance process as well as scrupulous fact checking”.

It continued: “Our argument all along has been to tell the story of the doctors and medics as soon as possible, people whom we convinced to talk to us despite their own reservations that the BBC would ever tell their stories.”

“Although the BBC are now taking their names off this film, it will remain theirs, and we hope it serves to open up the debate on how the nation’s broadcaster covers what is happening in Gaza, and that people feel free to speak up and speak out, rather than stay silent or leave, and at some point get the journalistic leadership they deserve.”

Speaking at the Sheffield Documentary Festival on Thursday, before the decision was announced, De Pear specifically blamed director general Tim Davie for refusing to air the film.

He added: “The BBC’s primary purpose is TV news and current affairs, and if it’s failing on that it doesn’t matter what drama it makes or sports it covers,” he said, as reported by Broadcast. “It is failing as an institution. And if it’s failing on that then it needs new management.

In relation to the war, De Pear claimed staff at the BBC “are being forced to use language they don’t recognise, they are not describing something as it clearly is [for fear of impartiality] and it’s tragic”.

Responding to De Pear’s comments, a BBC spokesperson said the BBC “totally reject[s] this characterisation of our coverage”.

“The BBC has continually produced powerful journalism about this conflict. Alongside breaking news and ongoing analysis, we have produced original investigations such as those into allegations of abuse of Palestinian prisoners and Israel’s use of bunker buster bombs and in-depth documentaries including the award-winning Life and Death in Gaza, and Gaza 101.”

High-profile figures such as actress Susan Sarandon and presenter Gary Lineker have previously accused the corporation of censorship over the delay.

An open letter, which was also signed by cultural figures such as Dame Harriet Walter, Miriam Margolyes, Maxine Peake, Juliet Stevenson and Mike Leigh, said: “This is not editorial caution. It’s political suppression.”

“No news organisation should quietly decide behind closed doors whose stories are worth telling,” it continued.

“This important film should be seen by the public, and its contributors’ bravery honoured.”