War erupted in Sudan's capital Khartoum in April 2023 and sent millions searching for safety.
The city was quickly captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after a power struggle with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for total control.
At least 61,000 people were killed from the fighting and siege conditions in Khartoum state alone.
Thousands more were maimed and many remain missing.
The RSF fled Khartoum's neighbourhoods in caravans carrying the city's looted treasures as the army closed in and recaptured it after two years of occupation.
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The empty streets they left behind are lined with charred, bullet-ridden buildings and robbed store fronts.
The once shiny skyscrapers built along the confluence of the River Nile are now husks of blackened steel.
The neighbourhoods are skeletal. Generational homes are deserted and hollow.
Trenches snake the streets where copper electric cables were ripped out of the ground and pulled out of lampposts now overridden with weeds.
The majority of the 13 million people displaced by this war fled Khartoum. Many left in a rush, assuming it would only take a few weeks for peace to be restored.
My parents were among those millions and in the midst of the abandoned, looted homes is the house where I grew up.
A shell of a home
I have to strain my eyes to see the turn to my house. All the usual markers are gone. There are no gatherings of young people drinking coffee with tea ladies in the leafy shade - just gaping billboard frames that once held up advertisements behind cars of courting couples parked by the Nile.
Our garden is both overgrown and dried to death.
The mango, lemon and jasmine trees carefully planted by my mother and brother have withered.
The Bougainvillea has reached over the pathway and blocked off the main entrance. We go through the small black side door.
Our family car is no longer in the garage, forcing us to walk around it.
It was stolen shortly after my parents evacuated.
The two chairs my mum and dad would sit at the centre of the front lawn are still there, but surrounded by thorny weeds and twisted, bleached vines.
The neighbour's once lush garden is barren too.
Their tall palm trees at the front of the house have been beheaded - rounding off into a greyish stump instead of lush fronds.
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Everyone in Khartoum is coming back to a game of Russian roulette. Searching out their houses to confirm suspicions of whether it was blasted, burned or punctured with bullets.
Many homes were looted and bruised by nearby combat but some are still standing. Others have been completely destroyed.
The outside of our house looks smooth from the street but has a crack in the base of the front wall visible from up close.
It is likely a bomb fell nearby and shook the house at its base - a reminder of the airstrikes and shelling that my parents and their neighbours fled.
Inside, the damage is choking.
Most of the furniture has been taken except a few lone couches.
The carpets and curtains have been stripped. The electrical panels and wiring pulled out. The appliances, dishes, glasses and spices snatched from the kitchens.
The walls are bare apart from the few items they decided to spare. Ceilings have been punctured and cushions torn open in their hunt for hidden gold.
The walls are marked with the names of RSF troops that came in and out of this house like it was their own.
The home that has been the centre of our life in Sudan is a shell.
Glimmers of hope
The picture of sheer wreckage settles and signs of familiarity come into focus.
A family photo album that is 20 years old.
The rocking chair my mother cradled me and my sister in. My university certificate.
Celebratory snaps of my siblings' weddings. Books my brother has had since the early nineties.
The painting above my bed that I have pined over during the two years - custom-made and gifted to me for my 24th birthday and signed by my family on the back.
There are signs of dirt and damage on all these items our looters discarded but it is enough.
Evidence of material destruction but a reminder of what we can hope will endure.
The spirit of the people that gathered to laugh, cry and break bread in these rooms.
The hospitality and warmth of a Sudanese home with an open door.
The community and sense of togetherness that can never truly be robbed.
What remains in our hearts and our city is a sign of what will get us through.
Groundworker Daniel Graham, 39, and mechanic Adam Carruthers, 32, each deny two counts of criminal damage to the tree and to Hadrian's Wall overnight on 28 September 2023.
Jurors at Newcastle Crown Court heard the tree was a "totemic" feature of Northumberland and was part of a place "much loved by many thousands of people".
The video clip lasting two minutes and 40 seconds was recovered from Graham's phone and played to the court twice - once showing the dark, raw footage, and a second time after it had been enhanced by a police specialist.
Police analyst Amy Sutherland told the court the video was in the download section of Graham's phone, which was taken from his jacket pocket.
In the enhanced black and white version, with audio of wind blowing and a chainsaw buzzing, a figure can be seen working at the trunk of the tree, before it finally crashes to the ground.
Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, said the original video was enhanced by changing the contrast, putting a border around the frame and brightening the film "so it could be seen more clearly".
The prosecution alleges that the two friends travelled to the location in the pitch black during Storm Agnes and used a chainsaw to fell the sycamore, which then crashed on to Hadrian's Wall.
The damage caused was valued at £622,191 for the tree and £1,144 to the Roman wall, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The court has heard that Graham, of Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, of Wigton, Cumbria, swapped messages after word spread of the tree being felled.
A statement by Tony Wilmott, a senior archaeologist with Historic England, said he produced a seven-page report into the damage caused to Hadrian's Wall.
He said the Sycamore Gap name was coined in the 1980s, and over the decades it has become one of Northumberland's most appreciated features.
He said: "Its unmistakable profile has been repeated in many media and because of this it has become totemic.
"It has become a place of marriage proposals, family visits and even the location of ashes to be spread.
"The place is much loved by many thousands of people."
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The court heard a statement from archaeologist and inspector for Historic England, Lee McFarlane, that some of the stones in Hadrian's Wall were damaged when the tree was felled.
The wall and the tree belong to the National Trust.
The trial continues.
The 76-year-old monarch praised the organisations that mean that "the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion".
Writing ahead of a Buckingham Palace reception to recognise and celebrate "the remarkable organisations and individuals" who do so much for cancer patients and their families, the King said: "Each diagnosis, each new case, will be a daunting and at times frightening experience for those individuals and their loved ones.
"But as one among those statistics myself, I can vouch for the fact that it can also be an experience that brings into sharp focus the very best of humanity."
Reflecting on his own cancer journey, he added: "It has certainly given me an even deeper appreciation of the extraordinary work undertaken by the remarkable organisations and individuals gathered here this evening, many of whom I have known, visited and supported over the years.
"And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits - that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion".
Ending his message, the King paid tribute to Dame Deborah James, by "echoing her final words" - "Find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope."
The podcaster and campaigner, whose frank accounts of life with bowel cancer sparked an extraordinary deluge of charity donations, died at the age of 40 in June 2022.
The message is written in a booklet that has been given to all those attending the Cancer Support reception.
It is an event that both the King and Queen were keen to host, both as patrons of many cancer-related organisations, but also as part of their ongoing work to highlight the impact of cancer on people across the UK.
The added emphasis on this side of the King's work has undoubtedly been spurred on by his own experience.
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In his annual Christmas message, the King specifically thanked the medical staff who supported him and the Princess of Wales last year.
'The most difficult of times'
In his written message on Wednesday, he added to those sentiments, saying: "What strikes us repeatedly is the profound impact of human connection - whether in the careful explanation from a specialist nurse, the hand held by a hospice volunteer, or the shared experience in a support group.
"These moments of kinship create what I might call a 'community of care', one that sustains patients through the most difficult of times."
Over 1,000 new cancer cases each day
To highlight the scale of the need for help, the King also refers to the "390,000 people who, sadly, receive a new cancer diagnosis across the UK each year. That is over 1,000 new cases every single day".
Since he was diagnosed last year, he has deliberately wanted to be open about his cancer journey, and we know that his treatment is still ongoing.
However, he has avoided saying what kind of cancer he has, palace sources partly putting that down to the fact that he doesn't want one type of cancer to appear more significant or attract more attention than others.
He has hoped to show that everyone's experiences can be different but no less challenging than others.
Should King be even more open?
Some have argued that as head of state, he should be even more open about his condition.
Among the guests at the reception was the actor Richard E Grant, a friend of the King, who has spoken of the monarch's kindness towards his wife shortly before she died of cancer.
Former footballer Ashley Cain, whose eight-month-old daughter lost her life to leukaemia, was also there along with the parents of Dame Deborah James, Alistair and Heather James, and TV presenter Lorraine Kelly and members of the Change + Check Choir.
But the Reform UK leader revealed to Sky News political editor Beth Rigby his biggest fear is "winning but not delivering".
Councillors across England are facing election on Thursday, as well as six mayoralties being up for grabs.
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And the Runcorn and Helsby by-election is taking place after Labour's Mike Amesbury resigned, having punched a constituent.
Mr Farage is hoping to build on the momentum he built last year at the general election - and says he wants to replace the Conservatives as the main opposition party.
Asked what his goals were, the Reform leader said he was feeling more and more "optimistic" about winning in the by-election.
As for the rest of the votes, Mr Farage said: "I think national vote share, we're going to do very, very well. I think mayoralties, I think we'll win two, maybe three."
He highlighted Hull, Lincolnshire and perhaps Doncaster as his party's best hopes.
Mr Farage was also asked about whether his party would - at a local level - do deals with the likes of Labour and Tory councillors in order to control local authorities.
He said that any agreement would have to be done on the grounds that all parties agree to council finances being audited, and also that local authorities "stop fighting climate change - things like that".
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But Mr Farage said he did not want to be making deals with Labour or the Conservatives.
Asked what the biggest risk to his party was, Mr Farage said: "The biggest risk is succeeding, winning mayoralties, perhaps winning control of county councils, and not delivering."
He said if Reform doesn't deliver, then voters will say the party is "just like" the others.
Mr Farage said his party is doing well because it is trusted, and voters have lost faith in others.
The Reform UK leader was also asked about his stance on the NHS.
Mr Farage stated that he wants to see the way the health service is funded changed.
He said that he wants it to be "free at the point of delivery", but not "funded through general taxation".
He claimed the UK gets "worse bang for buck" than any other country when it comes to health spending.
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Mr Farage said it would be "odd" for Labour to be in the position where it is upset at the suggestion that rich people might have to pay for healthcare.
The interview with Nigel Farage is part of a series of election previews with all major parties invited.
Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault
Miriam Haley is the first of the former movie mogul's accusers to testify at his retrial, which is taking place as New York's highest court overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction.
The former studio boss, 73, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of rape and two of forcing oral sex. He denies sexually assaulting anyone.
Ms Haley, who also goes by the name Mimi Haleyi, today told the court Weinstein held her down and forced oral sex on her after she told him: "No, no - it's not going to happen."
She dabbed her eyes as she recalled in court what went through her mind during the alleged July 2006 assault.
"The unthinkable was happening, I just thought any unthinkable thing could happen," she said. "I just didn't know where it ended."
Weinstein, sitting between his lawyers, shook his head as she spoke.
Ms Haley also testified at Weinstein's initial trial.
She began her testimony yesterday by describing how she got to know Weinstein, saying she had some inappropriate and suggestive interactions with him, while others were polite and professional.
Ms Haley maintains she was always looking to forge a professional connection - not sex or romance - with the Miramax founder.
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Weinstein's lawyers are yet to question Ms Haley, but the defence has sought, often unsuccessfully, to object to prosecutors' questions, such as whether Ms Haley had any sexual interest in the then-powerful producer. She said she did not.
The defence has argued that all of Weinstein's accusers consented to sexual activities with him in the hopes of getting work in show business.
The 73-year-old's retrial includes charges based on allegations from Haley and Jessica Mann, an actress who alleges Weinstein raped her in 2013.
For the first time, he is also being tried on an allegation of forcing oral sex on a former model, Kaja Sokola, in 2006.