The latest batch of files released by the US Department of Justice includes three apparent bank statements detailing three money transfers of $25,000 each from the paedophile financier to the former British ambassador to Washington in 2003 and 2004.

It is unclear whether the payments ever made it into any named accounts.

Lord Mandelson, who was the Labour MP for Hartlepool when the files suggest the payments were alleged to have been made, resigned his membership of the party on Sunday night.

The peer, who has denied any record or recollection of the payments and questioned their authenticity, said in a statement he wanted "to repeat my apology to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now".

The New Labour grandee, who was sacked as the UK's ambassador to the United States over his links to Epstein, appeared in a picture found in the files wearing only his underwear.

He said he felt "regretful and sorry" about weekend revelations linking him to "the understandable furore surrounding" Epstein, who took his own life in prison in 2019.

Sky News has found video of Epstein being questioned about his crimes and whether his money was "dirty".

Epstein, wearing glasses and a black shirt, appears to be answering questions in a sit-down interview.

At one point, the interviewer asks Epstein if his money is "dirty money", to which the paedophile financier replies: "No, it's not."

Asked why not, Epstein says: "Because I earned it."

Put to him that his wealth was earned by "advising the worst people in the world that do enormous bad things", Epstein says that "ethics is always a complicated subject".

Epstein then claims he donated money to help try to eradicate polio in Pakistan and India.

"What are you, [a] class 3 sexual predator?" the interviewer asks.

"Tier 1. I'm the lowest," Epstein responds.

The interviewer asks if those receiving Epstein's donations knew where the money came from, leading to the following exchange:

Epstein: I think if you told them the devil himself said 'I'm going to exchange some dollars for your child's life'...

Interviewer: Do you think you're the devil himself?

Epstein: No, but I do have a good mirror.

Interviewer: It's a serious question. Do you think you're the devil himself?

Epstein: I don't know. Why would you say that?

Interviewer: Because you have all the attributes -

Epstein: No, the devil scares me.

The person interviewing Epstein doesn't appear on screen, but he is believed to be Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Mr Bannon served in the White House role for the first seven months of Trump's first presidential term.

It is unclear when or where the interview was filmed, who filmed the footage or why Bannon in particular was speaking to Epstein.

The footage was among more than 2,000 videos released on Friday by the US Department of Justice, along with more than three million pages and 180,000 images.

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Pressure is growing on both Lord Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to appear before the US Congress over their links to Epstein.

The latest tranche of Epstein files include three images appearing to show Andrew on all fours over a woman lying on the floor, with the date and circumstances unspecified.

Andrew has always vehemently denied any wrongdoing relating to his relationship with Epstein.

The former Duke of York has lost all his titles and associated royal roles due to his links to Epstein.

The latest explosive Epstein revelations have forced him to resign from his beloved Labour Party, he says, to save the party from "further embarrassment".

It's difficult to imagine what could be more embarrassing than this weekend's disclosure of alleged payments by Jeffrey Epstein to his partner, claims of lobbying a Labour chancellor on tax policy, and being photographed wearing nothing more than a T-shirt and a pair of underpants.

Announcing his resignation from the party on Sunday evening, he challenged some of the allegations in the Epstein files and repeated his claim that he had no record or recollection of the payments to his now husband.

He said he had written to Hollie Ridley, general secretary of the Labour Party, to say he was stepping down from his party membership.

But did he jump or was he pushed? Even if Sir Keir Starmer didn't demand his resignation, such an astute political operator as Lord Mandelson could see he couldn't remain in the party, and he had no alternative but to resign.

In his resignation letter, he wrote: "I have been further linked this weekend to the understandable furore surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and I feel regretful and sorry about this.

"Allegations which I believe to be false that he made financial payments to me 20 years ago, and of which I have no record or recollection, need investigating by me.

"While doing this I do not wish to cause further embarrassment to the Labour Party and I am therefore stepping down from membership of the party."

He added: "I want to take this opportunity to repeat my apology to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now.

"I have dedicated my life to the values and success of the Labour Party and in taking my decision I believe I am acting in its best interests."

His resignation came only hours after the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, called on the PM to suspend his membership of the party and launch an investigation into the financial allegations.

'Completely disgraced'

And the Conservatives responded to his resignation with a further attack, a spokesman claiming: "Lord Mandelson is completely disgraced.

"Yet Keir Starmer lacked the backbone to take action, allowing Mandelson to resign from the Labour Party instead of kicking him out.

"Keir Starmer and his chief of staff appointed Mandelson ambassador despite his relationship with Epstein and then refused to act even as the mountain of evidence against him grew.

"Given the prime minister's appalling lack of judgment and the participation of his Downing Street operation, there must now be a full and thorough independent investigation."

But the resignation must have been a horrible wrench as well as a humiliation for Lord Mandelson, who had - as he lamented - dedicated his life to the party.

A scandal-tainted career

Indeed, he was born into the Labour Party. His grandfather was Herbert Morrison, one of the giants of Clement Attlee's post-war government.

But it was his attraction to the rich and famous and his fondness for the trappings of wealth that brought about what will be the final downfall of his scandal-tainted career.

He famously told tech executives when he was Sir Tony Blair's trade and industry secretary in 1998: "We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich."

Then, acutely aware of the risk of damaging headlines, the former spin doctor known as the "Prince of Darkness", added hurriedly: "As long as they pay their taxes."

His final demise comes just months after Sir Keir was forced to sack him from the top diplomatic post of UK ambassador to the US over his association with the convicted sex offender Epstein.

But Epstein was by no means the first Mandelson scandal. He had to resign from Sir Tony's cabinet twice, first over an undeclared bank loan and then over intervening in a passport application by a top Indian businessman.

A controversial and divisive figure

Over four decades, nearly all on the frontline of British politics, he was a consummate political networker, but also one of the most divisive figures in public life and his appointment as ambassador was seen by critics as an act of cronyism by Sir Keir.

Acknowledging that Lord Mandelson - awarded a peerage in 2008 by Gordon Brown - was a controversial and divisive figure, Sir Tony declared in 1996: "My project will be complete when the Labour Party learns to love Peter Mandelson."

Read more:
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The Washington role is seen as the most glittering and important diplomatic post in the UK government. The perks of the job include the luxurious ambassador's residence in Massachusetts Avenue, a magnificent Queen Anne mansion designed by top architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.

When he appointed him as ambassador, Sir Keir saw Lord Mandelson as a skilful and persuasive link to the president, with his trade experience from his time as a cabinet minister and Brussels commissioner a vital qualification for the job.

Never one for false modesty, Lord Mandelson claimed that when he first walked into the Oval Office the president said to him: "God, you're a good-looking fellow, aren't you?"

Diplomatic triumphs

Lord Mandelson was credited with several diplomatic triumphs in Washington. He played a vital role in ensuring the UK escaped the worst of Trump's tariffs and he was instrumental in securing a much sought-after trade deal between the UK and the US.

And his silky PR skills were displayed when during Sir Keir's first visit to the White House in February, the PM theatrically pulled out of his inside pocket a letter from King Charles inviting the US president to visit the UK.

It was a classic Lord Mandelson stunt and confirmed he'd lost none of the flair for presentation he'd first deployed when he was Labour leader Neil Kinnock's spin doctor in the 1980s.

Lord Mandelson's high-profile political career began as a TV producer until his appointment as Labour's director of communications under Kinnock in 1985.

He was seen as a brilliant if ruthless spin doctor, who masterminded the birth of New Labour but would berate newspaper editors when unfavourable stories were written by their political journalists.

Another classic Lord Mandelson attempt to kill an embarrassing story was to tell the journalist who wrote or broadcast it in a sneering voice: "That is a story that I believe will remain an exclusive."

He became MP for Hartlepool in 1992 and helped propel Sir Tony to the leadership of the party after John Smith's death in 1994, a move that led to a bitter feud with Mr Brown.

There's an amusing story about Mandelson in Hartlepool, which he claimed is a myth and blames Kinnock for. It's claimed he ordered "some of that delicious guacamole" in a fish and chip shop, mistaking mushy peas for avocado dip.

It was a perfect Mandelson story, ridiculing his metropolitan tastes and ignorance of working-class life. But he claims the mistake was made by a young American woman student who was helping Labour's campaign.

'I'm a fighter, not a quitter'

His first cabinet job, trade and industry secretary in 1998, lasted only five months after he was forced to quit after failing to declare a home loan from Labour millionaire Geoffrey Robinson to his building society.

His resignation was similar in one respect to the demise of former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner last year, in that it was over irregularities in buying a property: in Hove in her case, in fashionable Notting Hill in his.

He bounced back as Northern Ireland secretary in 1999 and was said to enjoy the luxury of Hillsborough Castle, which went with the job. But he was forced to resign a second time over claims he helped businessman Srichand Hinduja with an application for UK citizenship.

When he held his seat in Hartlepool in the 2001 general election, Mandelson made a passionate and defiant victory speech at his count in which he declared: "I'm a fighter, not a quitter."

Yet three years later he did quit as an MP, when he became a trade commissioner in Brussels, serving a four-year term during which he had a spectacular row with French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who accused him of selling out French farmers in trade talks.

There were more controversies arising from his time in Brussels. In 2006, it was reported that he received a free cruise on a yacht from an Italian mogul who was said to have benefited from tariffs on Chinese shoes when Mandelson was EU trade commissioner.

Reports also claimed he had been lent a private jet by banking and business tycoon Nat Rothschild. And it was later reported that he had a holiday in August 2008 on the yacht of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska off the Greek island of Corfu.

Mr Deripaska was said to have benefited from a cut in EU aluminium tariffs introduced by Mandelson. But prime minister Brown said Mandelson's dealings with Mr Deripaska had been "found to be above board".

His political comeback

After Brussels came perhaps his most spectacular and unexpected political comeback, when in 2008 his old foe Brown, by now prime minister but facing challenges to his leadership, brought him back as business secretary with a peerage.

A year later, Brown awarded him the grand title, previously held by Michael Heseltine under John Major, of first secretary of state, a position he held until Labour's election defeat in 2010.

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To the end, Lord Mandelson remained a devoted Blairite rather than a soulmate of Mr Brown. And in the run-up to Sir Keir's 2024 general election victory last year, he was back in the fold, offering advice on campaigning and policy.

He got his reward with the plum job of ambassador in Washington. But his links to a very American scandal, involving the disgraced financier and sex offender Epstein, pushed him out of political life.

He may have hoped for yet another comeback, but that won't happen now. There are calls from opposition MPs for him to be stripped of his peerage. Currently on leave of absence from the Lords, he says he doesn't plan to return.

But what will hurt him most will be being forced to sever his link with the Labour Party that he was born into and which he served all his life. Until now. It's over.

Several more were wounded in the attack on the bus, which was carrying mineworkers in the southeastern city of Dnipro.

Ukraine's emergency service said a fire broke out after the strike but was extinguished by firefighters.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed trilateral talks between Ukraine, US and Russia would go ahead on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.

Mr Zelenskyy said: "There is already an agreement on a meeting - a trilateral meeting - at the appropriate level. This meeting will take place next week, as planned, on Wednesday and Thursday in the Emirates, like last time."

Energy company DTEK said Russian forces had carried out a "massive terrorist attack" on a company mine in the region and all the dead and wounded were its employees returning from a shift.

"Today, the enemy carried out a cynical and targeted attack on energy sector workers ‍in the Dnipropetrovsk region," energy minister Denys Shmyhal said.

The company and energy minister initially said 15 were killed in the strike.

Mr Zelenskyy said on Telegram: "Today's Russian strike on a bus in the Dnipropetrovsk region is a crime, a demonstrative crime, which once again shows that it is Russia that is responsible for the escalation. Evil must be stopped."

It comes after Russia launched 90 attack drones overnight, with 14 striking nine locations, according to Ukraine's air force.

A woman and a man were also killed in an overnight strike in Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said earlier.

Russian shelling also hit central Kherson in southern Ukraine, seriously wounding a 59-year-old woman, according to a Facebook post by the municipal military administration.

A drone also hit a maternity hospital in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, the Ukrainian emergency service said, injuring three women and sparking a fire in the gynaecology reception area that was later extinguished. Regional administration head Ivan Fedorov later said the number of wounded had risen to six.

Russia's defence ministry said its forces had used operational-tactical aviation, attack drones, missile forces and artillery to strike transport infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces.

It also said Russian air defences had shot down 21 Ukrainian drones flying over southwestern and western Russia, and did not mention any casualties or damage.

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Pressure grows on Mandelson to testify over Epstein
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Earlier on Sunday, Mr Zelenskyy announced the next round of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv would take place on Wednesday and Thursday.

Envoys from Russia, Ukraine and the US had been expected to meet in Abu Dhabi next week to continue negotiations aimed at ending Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.

In another Telegram post on Sunday, Mr Zelenskyy said: "We have just had a report from our negotiating team. The dates for the next trilateral meetings have been set: Feb 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi.

"Ukraine is ready for substantive talks, and we are interested in an outcome that will bring us closer to a real and dignified end to the war."

Later he added: "I have scheduled a meeting for tomorrow to agree on the framework of the conversation and prepare everything. On Monday evening, the team will be on its way to the negotiations."

Although Ukrainian and Russian officials have agreed in principle with US President Donald Trump's calls for a compromise, Moscow and Kyiv are at odds over what an actual agreement should look like.

One key issue is whether Russia should keep or withdraw from areas of Ukraine its forces have occupied, especially Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland, the Donbas, and whether it should be given land there it has not yet captured.

Changes as part of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act will be enforced from Monday.

Law enforcement will no longer have to prove online ads had led to crossings, as under the previous regulations, and will instead be able to prosecute proactively when they find postings.

Border security minister Alex Norris told the PA news agency his message to smugglers was: "We are coming for you."

Reducing the number of illegal Channel crossings is one of the key goals of the government, with Sir Keir Starmer claiming he had made progress on stopping Chinese-made boat engines reaching Europe while on a visit to Beijing last week.

The agreement will make it easier for law enforcement groups to share information with their Chinese counterparts, the government claimed.

Some 60% of the boats which crossed the Channel last year had motors made in China.

The National Crime Agency will deploy its Online Communications Centre to investigate thousands of social media accounts as part of the latest crackdown.

More than 10,000 accounts, pages and posts were shut down last year.

The Home Office shared examples of adverts for crossings, which appeared in English, French and Pashto.

"Social media ads promoting the corrupt promise of a life and work in the UK are truly sickening," Mr Norris told PA.

"To the people smugglers peddling this content, whether you are selling your vile trade online through 'golden package deals', supplying boat equipment or researching routes, we are coming after you.

"I will not stop until we've restored order and control to our borders."

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So far this year, 933 people have crossed the Channel by small boat, with no one having made the trip since 20 January.

Last year was the second-highest year on record for crossings after 2022.

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The government has also announced agreements with several European nations to share intelligence on people smuggling in a bid to reduce illegal migration, in a tactic branded "smash the gangs" by Sir Keir.

A one-in, one-out exchange scheme with France is also being piloted, with illegally arriving migrants exchanged for asylum seekers.

Kendrick Lamar leads this year's nominations with nine nods, including for three of the night's biggest awards - record, song and album of the year.

Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Tyler, The Creator and Justin Bieber are also in the running for Grammys this year, along with British stars Lola Young, Olivia Dean and Yungblud.

But almost as important as the music is the fashion. Here are some of the best looks from the red carpet.

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