The player central to Scotland’s recent successes over England has been mercurial fly-half Finn Russell, who has been passed fit for the game at Allianz Stadium.
A nasty first-half head injury ended the 32-year-old’s game early against Ireland. And his absence alongside wing Darcy Graham, who will miss the game after being involved in the collision, showed in a dominant Ireland win.
Added to the pre-tournament loss of captain Sione Tuipulotu, Townsend’s depth chart has been tested as Glasgow Warriors’ Tom Jordan – a fly-half by trade – is given the nod for the second game in a row at inside centre.
Tuipulotu was tipped as a nailed-on British and Irish Lion, Graham was entering that category after Italy were unable to contain his dazzling footwork in round one, and Russell is the frontrunner to wear the 10 shirt in the summer.
The recovery of Russell, who plays his club rugby at Premiership leaders Bath, is “an enormous boost to the team”, former Scotland number eight Johnnie Beattie told BBC Sport.
Russell’s ability to unleash devastating runners such as Huw Jones and Duhan van der Merwe has proved pivotal to this fixture.
Wing Van der Merwe has scored six Calcutta Cup tries, with last year’s hat-trick leaving England’s blitz defence in tatters and adding to an already impressive highlight reel.
“Finn has single-handedly brought Scotland back into some games,” said Beattie.
“If Van der Merwe isn’t served properly with the ball, it doesn’t work. That’s how important Finn is with his rugby IQ, the way he distributes and sees things others don’t.”
Given Scotland have not lost at Twickenham since a 61-21 mauling in 2017, that fearless attitude, married with the emotion of a fixture that has produced their best performances under Townsend, could reignite a title charge.
CQ Brown with Hegseth at the Pentagon during a visit with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu
US President Donald Trump has fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown, the highest-ranking officer in the country, as part of a major shake-up of top military leadership.
“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country,” Trump posted on social media. He said five other top officers were also being replaced.
Gen Brown was the second black officer to hold the post, the holder of which advises both the president and the secretary of defence on national security.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously said that Gen Brown should be fired because of his “woke” focus on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in the military.
Later on Friday, Hegseth announced the firings of two additional senior officers: Chief of Naval Operations Adm Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen Jim Slife.
Adm Franchetti was the first woman to lead the US Navy.
All three top officers removed on Friday were appointed by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.
Hegseth said in a statement: “Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars.”
Trump said he would nominate Air Force Lt Gen Dan Caine – a career F-16 pilot who most recently served as CIA associate director for military affairs – as the new chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
Last year, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump recalled first meeting Gen Caine in Iraq. “He looked better than any movie actor you could get,” Trump told the audience.
In the same speech, he praised the US military but said it was “woke at the top”.
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Adm Franchetti was the first woman to lead the Navy
Gen Brown had been visiting troops at the southern US border on Friday, roughly two hours before Trump’s post announcing his departure.
Rumours had been swirling this week that the president would remove the commander, whose term was set to expire in 2027.
Gen Brown made headlines in 2020 when he spoke out about race following the death of George Floyd.
He posted a video message to the US Air Force describing the pressures he had felt as one of the few black men in his unit, including being questioned about his credentials.
In 2022, while chief of staff of the air force, Gen Brown co-signed a memo setting out diversity goals to boost the proportion of minority officer applicants while adjusting lower the rate of white candidates, according to the Air Force Times.
Colin Powell was the first black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, serving from 1989-93.
One of Trump’s first acts after being sworn in last month was to fire the first female commandant of the Coast Guard, citing “excessive focus” on diversity.
US Air Force
Gen Jim Slife is also out
In November, before he was confirmed, Hegseth said on a podcast that there were many problems in the military, including diversity initiatives, which the Trump administration should “course correct”.
“First of all, you got to fire the chairman of joint chiefs,” Hegseth said in describing the steps he believed Trump should take.
Child criminal exploitation and “cuckooing” are set to become specific criminal offences as part of new legislation being introduced to Parliament next week.
The Crime and Policing Bill will also include measures that could see restriction orders put on people thought to be at risk of exploiting children for criminal means.
Cuckooing is when the home of a vulnerable person is taken over by criminals who use it as a base for illegal activities, such as drug dealing.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said exploitation like this was “sickening”, adding that legislation would ensure victims were “properly protected and prevent these often hidden crimes from occurring in the first place”.
“It is vital we do everything in our power to eradicate it from our streets,” she said.
Under current CPS guidelines, prosecutors dealing with a suspected case of cuckooing may look to other offences such as assault, harassment and modern day slavery in order to bring charges – but these might not cover all examples.
Gennine Bird, a former heroin and cocaine user, told the BBC last year that cuckooing can involve a lot of intimidation by drug dealers, and that they will give drugs to the vulnerable person in order to stay in the property.
“A lot of people get beaten up, people get raped, women get sent out to do prostitution to pay off debts because, you know, they’ll say give you the drugs, give you the drugs and then ‘oh, you owe me money, you’ve got to pay that, and you don’t have any money’. So they like, go out and sell your body,” she said.
Dr Laura Bainbridge, an associate professor of criminal justice at Leeds University who specialises in cuckooing, welcomed the legislation saying the criminal and civil orders currently used to charge cuckooers are not consistent across England and Wales, and the harm caused to individuals is not reflected in sentences.
But she told the Today programme that there were some grey areas and that determining victims and perpetrators in a cuckooing situation can be “very difficult to untangle” and “no two instances of cuckooing are identical.
“It may be the case that a vulnerable victim truly believes that say the drug dealer is their friend and refuses to eject them from their property – thus moving them towards the offender domain – or it may be the case that the perpetrator has been forced to cuckoo a property, by say county lines gang to pay off the drugs debt, and this moves them towards the victim domain,” she said.
She added that she hopes the new law will ensure that victims are protected and not prosecuted, and that a multi-agency rather than an enforcement approach will be used.
The child criminal exploitation (CCE) offence in Labour’s bill is designed to target people who groom children into criminal activity, including county lines drug dealing or organised robbery, the Home Office says.
Around 14,500 children were identified as being at risk of CCE in 2023-24, though the government says that is likely to be an underestimated figure.
The cuckooing offence will carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison, while the standalone child criminal exploitation offence will carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The legislation will also see the introduction of CCE prevention orders, which will mean that courts can put restrictions on people who they believe pose a risk of exploiting a child for criminal purposes.
Breaking these orders will also be a criminal offence, carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Dame Rachel de Souza, the UK’s Children’s Commissioner, has said the measures will provide “clarity that exploited children are victims”.
“Many children targeted by adult criminals themselves face punishment instead of support,” she said.
“Like too many child victims, they are often ignored and overlooked. Their voices and experiences must be listened to, if we are to create a child-centric justice system that puts safeguarding at its heart.”
The bill will also include plans to explicitly outlaw spiking, with a new offence that will carry a prison term of up to 10 years.
Slap fighting became a viral sensation after emanating from Russia
The first-ever slap fighting competition to take place in Scotland has been cancelled following a health warning.
BritSlap/SlapFight UK was due to hold the event at Glasgow University Union (GUU) on Saturday evening as part of a wider weightlifting meet.
However, a leading expert on brain injury said it was “inconceivable” the bouts should go ahead due to the elevated risk of concussion.
A spokesperson for the student union said the event had been cancelled “in discussion with organisers”.
Slap fighting began in Russia and expanded into Eastern Europe and the United States after going viral on social media.
Unlike in boxing, MMA and Muay Thai where there is a defensive element, here competitors exchange forceful bare-handed blows to the side of the head without defending themselves.
SlapFight UK, which has no independent regulation or governance, is the first independent league to be set up in this country and was due to host its first Scottish meet after several events in England.
But Dr Willie Stewart, a leading researcher at the university’s school of neuroscience, urged competitors not to “risk their brain health in the name of sport”.
Dr Stewart said the university had led research into traumatic brain injuries for over 50 years, including the “catastrophic outcomes” to brain health suffered by former footballers and rugby players.
He told BBC Scotland News: “There is no question that the University of Glasgow’s research has provided the clearest evidence that brain injuries should never be considered trivial or encouraged as ‘sport’.
“In this context, it seems inconceivable, if not ill-considered, that a students’ union of this university would be hosting such an event.
“I’d suggest that rather than encouraging people to risk their brain health in the name of ‘sport’, the event organisers spend a few hours in my laboratory and educate themselves on the consequences of brain injuries.”
The University of Pittsburgh research analysed footage of 78 fights and found more than half of participants displayed visual signs of concussion.
Its lead author, Dr Raj Swaroop Lavadi said the lack of defensive element meant each blow was “amplified”.
He also said promoters should be “more transparent about its risks”.
GUU previously said it was “satisfied” with safety measures in place.
A statement released late on Friday said: “In discussion with the event organisers, the slap fighting element of this weekend’s weightlifting competition is no longer going ahead.”
BBC Scotland has contacted the union for further comment.
A spokesman for the University of Glasgow said it did not “endorse or sanction” the event.
He added: “Given the strength of the evidence outlined by our own academic colleagues, and echoed by published peer-reviewed research, we regard this as a dangerous sport and do not believe that the GUU or the university should be associated with it.”
The weather for much of the month so far has been dominated by an area of high pressure stuck over central and northern Europe.
This prevented rain-bearing Atlantic weather systems from reaching us and was also responsible for the continuous influx of cold air from the east, which kept daytime temperatures below normal for this time of year.
However, recently we have seen another surge of frigid arctic air across Canada and the US which has helped fire up a strong jet stream across the Atlantic.
This has helped to the development and movement of deep areas of low pressure near our shores, bringing wind and rain.
While the jet stream will weaken next week, we will still see our weather come in from the Atlantic, rather than from Europe.
This will lead to fairly changeable conditions and temperatures closer to the seasonal average of 7 to 10 Celsius (45 to 50F). On the clearer nights we will also see the return of a frost in places.
Jenny Hall was last seen leaving her home on Tuesday afternoon
The search for a missing woman has entered its fourth day, police have said.
Jenny Hall, 23, was last seen leaving her home at Barracks Farm, Tow Law, County Durham, on Tuesday just after 15:00 GMT. Her red Ford Focus was found parked on the B6278 between Eggleston and Stanhope on Wednesday.
Ms Hall, a keen long-distance runner, is described as 6ft (1.8m) tall with very long dark hair and was last seen wearing a blue hoodie with a John Deere logo and dark jogging bottoms.
Durham Police said it would be working in Hamsterley Forest, where Ms Hall was known to run, and the surrounding areas.
Hamsterley Forest was created by Forestry England in the 1920s.
Sections are used for lumber production, but the area is also popular with walkers and cyclists.
Spanning 4,942 acres (2,000ha), it is the largest woodland in County Durham and is located about 16 miles (26km) from the town Ms Hall is from.
It attracts about 200,000 visitors a year, according to Forestry England.
Ch Insp Haythornthwaite said he wanted to thank those who had contacted them with information so far.
“We really do appreciate your help and support,” he said.
He said the force was aware that families would be walking around the forest recreationally today and asked them to give space to officers conducting the search.
“Try not to disrupt the search area,” he said.
The search is now focused on the running trails Ms Hall frequently uses
Alongside the police, Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team (TWSMRT) said its teams had so far searched over 60 miles (96.5km) of paths and tracks in Hamsterley Forest.
“The biggest challenge is the area size itself and the terrain,” said volunteer Peter Bell. “The terrain is muddy and boggy.”
A spokesperson for TWSMRT previously thanked the public for offers of help, but individuals were advised not to try and assist as it could “hamper the systematic search”.
TWSMRT
Mountain rescue teams searched the moorland on Wednesday and Thursday
Motorbike officers, specialised sniffer dogs and air support drones have also been involved in the search so far.
Durham Police is urging anyone with any information to ring 999.
Merz is convinced he is on track for victory and has exuded confidence in party rallies
Germany’s rival political leaders will take their fight for votes right to the last minute in a push that reflects the pivotal nature of Sunday’s election, not just for their country but for Europe as a whole.
Conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz told supporters that under his leadership, Germany would take responsibility in Europe, and that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) would be consigned to the political margins once more.
He will end his Christian Democrat party’s campaign with a rally in Munich, while his rivals will make a final appeal in a TV “speed-dating” programme with voters.
For months German politics has been paralysed by the collapse of the previous government.
Now, hopes have been raised across Europe that this vote will bring some certainty to the EU’s biggest democracy and its biggest economy, which has struggled to escape from lingering recession.
Nothing will change overnight. No party can govern without forming a coalition, and that will take weeks.
Reviving the economy has been one of the two big issues of the campaign; the other has been migration and security, thrust on Germany’s politicians by a series of deadly attacks since May 2024.
The cities of Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg and Munich have all suffered grievous attacks. A Spanish tourist was stabbed at the Holocaust memorial in the centre of Berlin on Friday night, although his wounds are not considered life-threatening.
All the alleged attackers were immigrants, and the AfD under Alice Weidel has advanced to about 20% in the polls with its nationalist, anti-immigration message.
She has appealed to younger voters on social media, and is far ahead in the race on TikTok, with 870,000 followers. She has also been buoyed by support from both billionaire Elon Musk and US Vice-President JD Vance, who has been accused of meddling in the German campaign.
Getty Images
Alice Weidel has taken part in many of the election debates shown on German TV
The AfD talks of securing Germany’s borders and deporting migrants who came illegally and committed crimes. But she uses the word “remigration” which has also been linked to mass deportations.
In Solingen, where a Syrian was accused of stabbing to death three people last August, hundreds of people turned out on Friday night to speak out against the rise of the far right.
“We have a lot of friends who grew up in Germany whose parents did not,” said one woman called Natalie, 35. “We don’t want anybody to kick them out and we don’t want our borders closed.”
One man called Jochen held up a sign that read “Never Again is Now!”
There was a large police presence at the protest, and Friday night’s stabbing in Berlin which police say was motivated by antisemitism has heightened security fears.
A police union spokesman has warned of a risk of attacks aimed at destabilising democracy.
This local man from Solingen, Jochen, held up a banner that read: “Never again is Now!”
All the mainstream parties have ruled out working with the AfD in government, but if it polls higher than 20% it could double its number of seats to 150 in the 630-seat parliament.
Merz’s most likely partner is Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, although probably without Scholz himself. The message from his centre-left SPD as the final day of campaigning began was that every vote counts, and if Germans wanted a strong government they needed a strong SPD.
The Social Democrats are languishing in third in the polls, but Scholz is pinning his hopes on an estimated one in five undecided voters who could make a big difference.
Friedrich Merz was in a relaxed and confident mood when he appeared on stage this week in front of 1,200 supporters in the tech-hub city of Darmstadt near Frankfurt. But his message was stark as he turned his thoughts to Donald Trump’s presidency.
One hand in his pocket and the other holding the microphone, he spoke of unprecedented times and a “tectonic shift in the world’s centres of power”.
“A political order is now crumbling. What we have become used to for decades is breaking down.” He was not even sure if the US would join Germany in celebrating the 70th year of its accession to Nato in the summer.
He castigated the outgoing government for failing to take a leading role on the international stage.
“The German government and chancellor must finally take on a leading role in Europe again. If I’m elected I will spend a significant part of my time keeping this European Union together.”
Germans have had almost nightly opportunities to see their political leaders thrash out the big issues in TV debates, and Alice Weidel has been in the thick of them, sharing the stage with both Merz and Scholz.
In the run-up to the vote she met Vice-President JD Vance, who castigated German politicians for raising a “firewall” against the far right and of ignoring “the will of the voters”.
That firewall – brandmauer in German – has held strong since the end of the war, although Merz himself was accused of breaking it when he relied on the support of the AfD last month in a motion on migration.
He has faced demonstrations ever since, and there was a noisy protest when he visited Darmstadt.
“Love instead of Merz,” reads a protest sign in Darmstadt, where the CDU leader was speaking
PhD student Annika, 29, held a Herz statt Merz banner – love instead of Merz. “He says he won’t do something with the far-right AfD, but his actions contradict what he says. I don’t trust him at all.”
Merz appears to have been stung by the outcry and has sought to reassure voters there will be “no tolerance, no minority government [with the AfD], nothing at all”.
A 19-year-old Syrian man suspected of stabbing a Spanish tourist at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial had planned for several weeks to kill Jewish people, Berlin police believe.
The attack took place on Friday evening, with the assailant approaching the 30-year-old victim from behind before stabbing him and fleeing the scene.
A man was arrested nearby after police noticed blood stains on his hands and clothing.
The suspect was carrying a prayer rug, a copy of the Quran, and the suspected weapon in his backpack, suggesting “a religious motivation”, police said.
After being taken to hospital with serious wounds to his neck, the victim underwent an operation and was put into an induced coma, but his life is no longer in danger.
Police say they are examining possible connections to the current Middle East conflict – but said there is currently no evidence of links to any groups or individuals.
They are also investigating whether the suspect is suffering from mental illness. He had no prior criminal record and was not known to the police, they added.
Six people who witnessed the attack are receiving counselling from local authorities.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser described the attack as an “abhorrent and brutal crime” for which the suspect “must be punished with the full force of the law”.
“We will use all means to deport violent offenders back to Syria,” she said.
Several stabbing and car-ramming attacks have taken place in Germany in recent months, in the cities of Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg and Munich.
All of the alleged attackers were migrants. Immigration has become a core issue for voters ahead of federal elections taking place on Sunday.
The Berlin Holocaust memorial was opened in 2005 to commemorate the six million Jews of Europe murdered by the Nazi regime, and comprises 2,711 stone slabs.
Hours after the attack in the German capital, Swedish police said they had apprehended three men near the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, on suspicion of preparing to commit violent crime. It is not believed the incidents are linked.
No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing, police have said.
A three-year-old girl has been killed in a crash between a van and a tram, police have said.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the girl was taken to hospital following the crash on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre where she died from her injuries.
The force confirmed the child was a pedestrian and was not travelling in either the tram or van.
No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing, GMP have said.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said it was supporting the police with the investigation.
“All of our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time,” a TfGM spokesperson said.
Roads are closed and public transport services have been cancelled following the collision, which occurred close to the Manchester Art Gallery.
‘Lengthy closure’
No tram services are operating between St Peter’s Square and Piccadilly Gardens, TfGM has said.
The network is also experiencing severe delays on most lines.
Tickets and passes are being accepted on local bus services and Northern Rail services from Ashton and Manchester Airport to the city centre.
The force advised commuters there would be “a lengthy closure of surrounding streets near to St Peter’s Square”.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck took her own life after she was sexually assaulted by a senior sergeant
The sister of a 19-year-old soldier who took her own life after being sexually assaulted has said the Army is not a “safe space for women”.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck was found dead in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on 15 December 2021, after a Christmas party.
On Thursday, a coroner ruled the Army had contributed to Gunner Beck’s death by failing to take action after she was harassed by her line manager and sexually assaulted by another colleague.
The Army has apologised and said “significant changes” had been made, but Gunner Beck’s sister, Emilli Beck, said she wanted an independent body to “handle the most serious cases” in the future.
PA Media
Speaking outside the coroner’s court, Jaysley Beck’s family said no apology would bring her back
Ms Beck told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she would not recommend that women join the Army.
“I just don’t think it’s a safe space for women at this time. I think it’s scary and I certainly wouldn’t advise it,” she said.
She said her sister “never got believed” after she made a complaint against Battery Sgt Maj Michael Webber following an incident at a work social.
“It took her a lot of courage to speak up,” she said. “She trusted that the Army would have dealt with this appropriately and they just never did.”
An inquest into the death of Gunner Beck, originally from Oxen Park in Cumbria, found she was also subject to relentless harassment by her line manager, Bombadier Ryan Mason.
Ms Beck said her sister did not want to report the harassment after “she wasn’t believed the first time.”
“It’s sort of as the saying goes – once bitten, twice shy,” she said.
“She didn’t want to be seen as that girl who sort of made these accusations and nothing got done of it.”
Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg ruled the Army’s failure to take appropriate action over the “frightening” incidents “more than minimally” contributed to Gunner Beck’s death.
“I find there was a failure on behalf of the Army to take action over the harassment she was suffering from her line manager,” he concluded.
“And there was a failure on behalf of the Army to take action against the senior officer at whose hands she’d suffered a sexual assault.”
Family handout
Jaysley Beck was reluctant to report the harassment out of fear she would not be believed, her sister said
Brig Melissa Emmett, head of the Army personnel services group, has apologised to Gunner Beck’s family.
She said “significant changes” had been made within the Army, including the “introduction of clear and unequivocal policies to state that there will be zero tolerance to unacceptable sexual behaviours”.
“There is more work to do,” she said.
“It is my hope that such change will give service personnel the confidence they need to report sexual offences and inappropriate behaviours, knowing that they will be listened to.”
But Ms Beck said more needed to be done, to prevent similar things happening in the future.
“I can appreciate them talking about measures that are going to be put in place, but these measures were always there, they were just never followed,” she said.
Ms Beck believes the “culture of the Army needs to change” in order for cases of sexual assault or harassment to be investigated thoroughly in the future.
“The pain that we felt in the last three-and-a-half years is something that I would never want another family to go through,” she said.
“Female soldiers have completely lost faith in the Army.”
“Jaysley lived as her true authentic self, she was just an incredible person,” Ms Beck added.
“She brought life to everybody’s life, she was just so happy, she always stayed the same.”
The family of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas says a body handed over by Hamas on Friday is hers.
“Our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home,” the family said in a statement. Israel’s forensic officials who have been examining the body are yet to confirm the identification.
Remains handed over by Hamas on Thursday which it said were those of Shiri Bibas turned out to be an unidentified woman, Israel said.
It comes as six living hostages are handed over by Hamas on Saturday as part of a ceasefire deal. More than 600 Palestinian prisoners will be freed by Israel in exchange.
The Bibas family said: “For 16 months, we sought certainty, and now that we have it, there is no comfort in it, but we hope for the beginning of a closure.”
Hamas previously said the mother and her two children were killed in an Israeli air strike.
Earlier, a senior Hamas official confirmed to the BBC that the handover of the new body from Hamas to the Red Cross had taken place on Friday evening.
Israel had accused Hamas of breaking the terms of the ceasefire deal after forensic testing showed the remains handed over on Thursday were not that of Shiri Bibas.
The bodies of her sons, Ariel and Kfir, were returned to Israel, as was that of another hostage, Oded Lifschitz.
Hamas spokesman Ismail al-Thawabta said in a post on X on Friday that Shiri’s remains seemed to have been mixed up with other bodies under rubble after the air strike.
Israel has disputed the claim that Ariel and Kfir Bibas were killed in an airstrike, with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari telling a press conference “forensic findings”, which have not been seen by the BBC, suggested the boys had been killed “deliberately”.
He said evidence had been shared with “partners around the world so they can verify it”.
Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were aged 32, four and nine months respectively when they were kidnapped during the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
They were taken hostage along with the children’s father, Yarden Bibas, 34, who was released alive by Hamas on 1 February.
Under the first phase of a ceasefire deal, which began on 19 January and lasts for 42 days, Hamas agreed to hand over 33 hostages in return for Israel freeing 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
On Saturday, the armed group released Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, Tal Shohan, 40, and 23-year-old Omer Wenkert – all of whom were taken during the 7 October attacks.
Ethiopian-Israeli Avera Mengitsu, who was captured by Hamas in 2014, was also released. Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab-Israeli held in Gaza since 2015, will be handed over separately. Israel is due to free 602 Palestinian prisoners.
In subsequent stages of the agreement, Hamas will release the remaining living hostages from Gaza and return the bodies of dead hostages. Israel has pledged to release more Palestinian prisoners.
In the 7 October attacks, about 1,200 people – mostly civilians – were killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages.
In response, Israel launched a massive military campaign against Hamas which has killed at least 48,319 Palestinians – mainly civilians – according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
Abby Pendlebury, the theatre’s heritage manager, said it was “incredibly thrilling” to find the bottle
A theatre-lover was “astonished” to find a 119-year-old message in a bottle during a special behind-the-scenes tour of Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre.
Mike Hume was on scaffolding 40ft (12m) above the stage when he put his hand in a gap behind an ornate crown decoration and found the century-old bottle.
After months of painstaking effort, experts managed to extract the note from inside and found a list of the people who built the theatre in 1906.
Mr Hume, who is one of the theatre’s donors, was on the tour of its £40m restoration works when he made the find.
The 48-year-old said it was curiosity that caused him to reach behind the crown.
“It really was like a scene out of Indiana Jones,” he said.
“It was a bit damp and there was all this crumbly plaster and stuff in there – then my hand stumbled on this solid object and I pulled out this glass bottle.”
Mike Hume
Mike Hume (left) holding the bottle he found behind the crown decoration in the theatre, with John Robb, technical director of Capital Theatres (right)
Although the top of the bottle had been dipped in plaster, to keep it sealed, Mr Hume could see a note inside.
Using his phone to photograph the folded-up note he could just about make out the name in handwritten ink – “W S Cruikshank” – the contractor who built the Edwardian theatre.
Theatre bosses were unable to open the bottle after it was found on 6 December so it was sent to specialists who carefully cut the top off.
Capital Theatres
Scottish paper conservator Helen Creasy opening the bottle with a saw
Inside was a note which had become glued together with age, so experts used special techniques and chemicals to prise it apart.
BBC Scotland News asked the genealogy service Findmypast to help uncover the story behind the men who left the note.
The top name on the list was prominent Edinburgh builder William Stewart Cruickshank, who was 50 when he embarked on the King’s Theatre project.
He was born in Aberlour in Banffshire and later married Jane Taylor Beck, with whom he had seven children.
Capital Theatres
The letter found inside bottle was headlined ‘Contractors: W S Cruickshank & Son’, and listed the workers involved, continuing: ‘Architects: John Daniel Swanston, James Davidson, Clerk of works: John Tulloch, Draftsmen: John Alexander Cameron, Foreman plasterer: George King Jnr, Shop& job: William Begg, John Hutchinson, George Greaves King Snr, Andrew S Law, J Johnston, L Black, W Donnelly, William Hunter, A Mitchell, G Hay’
Next on the list is the theatre’s head architect, John Daniel Swanston, who was born in Dundee in 1868 and educated at Dollar Academy.
He opened his own architectural practice in Kirkcaldy in 1895 and specialised in theatre, cinema and public house work.
He died in 1956 in Newton Mearns, in the south of Glasgow, at the home of his daughter Dr Muriel Swanston.
The Peoples Archive/JD Swanston family
John Daniel Swanston was the lead architect
Another architect named in the letter was James Davidson, who was born in Airdrie in 1848, the son of a weaver.
He was educated at Airdrie Academy and initially trained as a joiner but later became an architect.
The third architect was John Tulloch, who was born in January 1847 in East Lothian.
Draughtsman John Alexander Cameron, foreman plasterer George King and foreman William Begg are also listed in the note as well as plasterers John Hutchinson, Andrew S Law and William Hunter.
Extra details found by Findmypast about the men have been handed over to the theatre.
Curators will use the extensive research to make a display in a new exhibition room in the theatre, along with the bottle and note.
Capital Theatres
The bottle was sealed with plaster
The King’s Theatre cost £50,000 to build in 1905. The current redevelopment, which started in 2018, will cost £40.7m.
Two lifts are being fitted and staircases widened at the category A-listed theatre, which is managed by Capital Theatres.
The auditorium is being redeveloped, a wall is being reinstated and a new control room is being added.
An upgraded lighting system is being installed in the gantry, and a new ventilation system will be added too.
Anneleen Lindsay
The King’s Theatre cost £50,000 to build in 1905
Abby Pendlebury, the theatre’s heritage engagement manager, said it was “incredibly thrilling” to find the bottle.
“I think it is fascinating we have a list of plasterers and draftsmen,” she said.
“It’s showing how personal this was to so many people and how there is a real human connection going back. It’s just really beautiful to see.”
She said it was “an absolute fluke find” and the way it had been preserved was “incredibly impressive”.
Anneleen Lindsay
The bottle was through a hole in the wall behind the crown
“The most magical thing to me is everyone who has ever sat in that auditorium and looked at the stage has seen it and so it’s just been this gem that’s been hiding this whole time,” she said.
“I’m amazed we found it and I am amazed at the list of names.”
Jen Baldwin, research specialist at Findmypast, said: “Unexpected finds like these can offer a fascinating window into the past.
She said the men who worked on the theatre were highly skilled and from a range of backgrounds, and they “came together to create one of Edinburgh’s most well-loved, iconic creative spaces”.
The theatre is due to reopen in spring 2026.
Bennetts Associates
An artist’s impression of how the theatre foyer will look once it has been restored.
Sir Nick Carter says the UK and European countries need to “step up” over Ukraine
European nations may need tooffer reliable security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia if the US will not, the former head of the UK armed forces has said.
Retired General Sir Nick Carter said ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty was fundamental to a fair deal, and that Europe mustset out its vision of peace that deters Russian aggression.
He said the UK could take a lead in doing this, ahead of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with US President Donald Trump next week.
The US has announced it will soon begin direct negotiations with Russia on a peace deal as the Trump administration seeks to take a smaller role in securing Europe.
Gen Carter, who was chief of the UK’s defence staff between 2018 and 2021, said it was for Ukraine to decide what a “fair settlement” to end the war meant.
But the UK and other European allies needed to make clear their position on “what the minimum acceptable level might be”, he told a BBC One Question Time special on the war in Ukraine.
“Fundamentally, there has got to be some form of guarantee of Ukraine’s sovereignty in the future.
“That means there’s got to be a copper bottom security guarantee, and if America’s not prepared to do that then some others are going to have to step up to the plate to provide that.
“You can add to it accession to the European Union, you can add a viable economy – there are other ingredients that would look like a just and viable peace. But the bottom line is a security guarantee.”
Sir Keir has previously said a “US security guarantee” is “the only way to effectively deter Russia”.
Trump said earlier this week that he “would not object” to Europe sending in peacekeeping troops, but the US “won’t have to put any over there”.
Washington has suggested more generally that Europe needs to take greater responsibility for its own defence.
Gen Carter warned the UK armed forces were “remarkably hollow” after a “process of neglect over a 30-year period”.
“We are in a position, I think, where we are massively vulnerable at the moment,” he said, describing how much of the UK’s critical infrastructure was dependent on undersea cables or “not properly protected by cyber defences”.
He continued: “Whether we like it or not, that means we’re going to have to start protecting ourselves.
“And the sort of onslaught that Ukraine has suffered from the air via drones and missiles over the course of the last three years is unsustainable as far as the UK’s concerned.
“We might be able to park a destroyer in the Thames to protect parts of London but nothing more than that.”
In the US, the prime minister is expected to maintain his support for Zelensky and Ukraine while seeking to gain Trump’s ear over talks with Russia.
He will visit the White House after French President Emmanuel Macron, who is seeking to co-ordinate a European response.
China, a vital partner for Russia, has offered its support for the US-Russia talks, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying “a window for peace is opening”.
But Foreign Secretary David Lammy appeared sceptical of whether Moscow was serious about peace, after listening to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov’s speech at a G20 summit in South Africa.
He said the UK was “ready to listen” to Russia if it was serious about peace and rejected “Tsarist imperialism”.
During Thursday’s Question Time panel, Ukrainian refugees among the audience spoke about the trauma of seeing their country torn apart by war.
Watch: “I wish I would see my family all together” – Ukrainian
Jackie Woodburne and Ian Smith have been stalwarts of Ramsay St for decades
Beloved Australian soap drama Neighbours has been cancelled again, two years after it was saved by Amazon MGM Studios.
Without specifying a reason, Amazon confirmed the series will finish at the end of 2025 – 40 years and more than 9,000 episodes after its television debut.
It was first cancelled by Channel 5 in 2022, but revived by Amazon for its streaming platforms just four months after a star-studded farewell episode watched by millions.
The soap – which helped launched the careers of Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie – has long been a huge hit with Australian and UK audiences, and last year received its first Emmy nomination.
A statement on the show’s social media said the soap would be “resting” from December.
“Audiences all around the world have loved and embraced Neighbours for four decades and we are very proud of the huge success over the last two years,” executive producer Jason Herbison wrote.
“We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future,” Mr Hebrison added, hinting that the producers will again hunt for a new backer.
New episodes will continue to air on Amazon Prime Video and Australia’s Channel Ten four times a week until the end of 2025.
In a statement, Amazon MGM Studios said it was “proud” to have played “a small part” in Neighbours history.
“Forty years is an incredible milestone,” a spokesperson said.
Fans vented their disappointment at the decision.
One wrote on social media: “I refuse point blank to accept that they will try to take @neighbours from me AGAIN!!! It’s sometimes the only 20 minutes in the day I can escape. Absolutely blooming well not!!”
‘Sad to say goodbye again’
Someone else wrote: “I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve logged into @primevideouk to be greeted by #Neighbours sitting at the top of the weekly charts.
“Now @amazon have cancelled the soap. At least a few of us will save money when we cancel though, right?”
Another said: “Will be so sad to say goodbye again, the joy & comfort this show has given for 40 years.”
Set and filmed in Melbourne, Neighbours was first broadcast in Australia in 1985 and launched on BBC One a year later.
The show has lately featured more diverse characters and storylines, amid questions over how well it reflected modern Australia. It featured the first same-sex marriage on Australian TV.
It also had its controversies, however. A number of actors recently came forward with racism allegations, prompting production company Fremantle Media to promise a review.
News of the show’s cancellation comes after actor Ian Smith – who plays Ramsay Street stalwart Harold Bishop – last year announced he would leave the show, revealing he has terminal cancer.
The man suspected of fatally shooting Lisa Smith is believed to have died, Kent Police say
A man suspected of fatally shooting his wife outside a pub in Kent is believed to have died after falling into the River Thames, police say.
Edvard Stockings is suspected of shooting Lisa Smith in the car park of the Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt last Friday.
Det Ch Insp Dave Higham said: “Our inquiries have concluded that the suspect is believed to have died after falling into the River Thames.”
Mr Stockings’s body has yet to be found but searches are ongoing, Kent Police added.
Ms Smith, 43, was shot dead shortly after 19:00 GMT on Valentines Day.
Det Ch Insp Higham added: “This murder has led to the senseless loss of a beloved daughter and mother and our thoughts remain with Lisa’s family.”
Gunshots heard on CCTV at time of Kent shooting
A friend of Mr Stockings, who was also known as Smith, previously said he received a call from him where he told him: “She’s dead, I love you. I’ll see you on the other side.”
CCTV footage captured the sound of three gunshots, followed by shouting and screaming.
A car and gun, linked to the suspect, were found “next to the Dartford crossing”, police said. They added that the car was found on the bridge.
PA Media
The Three Horseshoes Pub in Knockholt
Mr Stockings’s friend, Leslie Thompson, said he had known Mr Stockings for more than 30 years and the shooting did not make sense, adding: “They were both the life and soul of the party. We really don’t know why he has done it. I’m baffled.”
He added that Mr Stockings was “unbelievably close” to his father and had been deeply affected by his death two years ago.
“He’s had a breakdown,” Mr Thompson concluded, adding he was “one million percent sure… [Mr Stockings is] in the river.”
A police spokesperson said the force would be assisting the coroner.
The operation to tackle the sinkhole has been declared a major incident
A huge sinkhole that opened in the middle of a Surrey village has stopped getting bigger but could prevent people from returning home for months, according to a councillor.
Two sections of Godstone High Street have caved in since Monday night, with 30 homes evacuated.
Surrey County Council’s highways boss Matt Furniss said the sinkhole had stabilised and testing work was being carried out in the holes but it could be months before families were allowed back into their homes.
One local parish councillor said the search was on for people that could offer a spare room while residents found other rental properties.
BBC/ADRIAN HARMS
The sinkhole spread so quickly it trapped this car in a driveway
The first hole appeared late on Monday night when a water pipe burst, growing to at least 65ft (20m) long by Tuesday lunchtime, with a parked car teetering close to the edge of a second hole that opened up.
Furniss said: “We’re doing borehole testing, which will give us an early indication of what’s below and allow us to inform the temporary works needed to stabilise the area.
“We’ll be looking to completely rebuild the road.
“We don’t know what’s caused the water pipe to break, that’s what the investigation will look into.
“What we do know is that it’s currently stable, it isn’t growing anymore, we think that most of the properties are currently structurally sound so residents will be able to get access to retrieve property.”
He said he believed the second hole had been caused by water finding a route from the first.
BBC/ADRIAN HARMS
Residents of 30 properties, including Rez Mira, were evacuated when the sinkhole opened
The authority has declared the situation a major incident, while Tandridge District Council opened an information centre at St Nicholas Youth Centre from 10:00 GMT.
Furniss said: “All properties have been surveyed and we believe are currently structurally sound, but this may not remain the case.
“We cannot estimate a timescale for return but will keep residents updated. It may take months.”
A major incident was declared
Neighbouring Bletchingley Parish Council offered the use of its sports pavilion in Grange Meadow for evacuated residents.
Councillor Linda Baharier told BBC Radio Surrey: “It has showers, it’s warm and it has cooking facilities there.
“The biggest problem was those that were only renting, because they had no insurers to talk to.
“We’ve been looking more long-term at people that maybe can offer a spare room while they can find somewhere else to rent.”
BBC/ADRIAN HARMS
Shane Fry says it will be a “trialling few months” for businesses in Godstone
Shane Fry, who runs garage DD Services, was concerned lengthy road closures could affect “the longevity” of the business.
“We’re not allowed public access to our garage, we have lost a fair bit of our business, either people can’t get to us or choosing not to,” he added.
“I’ve got four employees, they’ve got families to look after and I’ve got my own to look after, so it’s going to be a trialling few months for us.”
BBC/ADRIAN HARMS
Road closures remain in place around the sinkhole
Catherine Sayer, leader of Tandridge District Council, said the authority was helping eight households, and said businesses might qualify for a reduction in rates while repairs were being carried out.
Furniss added that the county council was “looking at weeks, if not months” for repairs.
“We will have to excavate the whole area and build the road back up from the base, allow the utilities to come back in and reconnect, and then we will be able to put the road back on top of that,” he said.
Graham Bristow, who runs Blossoms Cafe with his daughter, said: “She’s trying to be brave about it” he said, “but she’s extremely worried about what the next couple of months might bring.
“If we suffer, is there going to be any help, possibly in rates reductions? We don’t know.”
The Azerbaijani government has ordered the suspension of BBC News’ Azerbaijani operation in the capital city, Baku.
The BBC said in a statement on Thursday that it had made the “reluctant decision” to close its office in the country after receiving a verbal instruction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The corporation added that it “deeply” regrets “this restrictive move against press freedom”.
State-controlled media has reported that the government wanted to reduce the number of BBC staff working in the country to one.
The BBC says its team of journalists in Baku have suspended their journalistic activities, while it seeks clarification on the instruction, but that it remains committed to continuing to report in the Azerbaijani language.
“We deeply regret this restrictive move against press freedom, which will hinder our ability to report to and from Azerbaijan for our audiences inside and outside the country,” a BBC spokesperson said in a statement.
The BBC has received nothing in writing from the Azerbaijani government and has sought clarification via a number of channels.
Azerbaijan’s ministry of foreign affairs has also not responded to the BBC’s request for comment.
BBC News Azerbaijani reaches on average one million people every week and its audience has been increasing.
It has operated in Azerbaijan since 1994, providing impartial news and information, initially via radio broadcasts and later across a range of digital platforms.
Spain’s former football federation boss Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and ordered to pay a fine of €10,800 (£8,942), Spain’s High Court has ruled.
He was acquitted of coercion.
As Spain’s players received their medals after defeating England in Sydney to win the 2023 World Cup, Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips.
The incident triggered protests and calls for Rubiales’s resignation.
The ruling also banned Rubiales from going within a 200-meter radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year, the court said in a statement.
Prosecutors had demanded a prison sentence for Rubiales, who last week told a court he was “absolutely sure” Hermoso had given her consent before he kissed her.
He described the kiss as an “act of affection”, adding that in the moment it was “something completely spontaneous”.
In her testimony earlier this month, Hermoso insisted that she had not given Rubiales permission and that the incident had “stained one of the happiest days of my life”.
Rubiales was accused of sexual assault and of trying coerce Hermoso into saying the kiss had been consensual.
The incident was witnessed by millions of television viewers and an entire stadium after the Spanish women’s team won the 2023 World Cup.
The ensuing uproar gave momentum to a “Me Too”-style movement in the Spanish women’s game, in which players sought to combat sexism and achieve parity with their male peers.
Rubiales resigned in September 2023 following weeks of resisting pressure to stand down, and after Fifa suspended him and Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation.
