The country's criminal police (Judicial Police) said it is investigating the death by stabbing of 13-year-old Alfie Hallett and the alleged attacker.

Local media say Portuguese police believe the perpetrator, who has also died, was the former partner of the boy's mother.

The mother was found "showing signs of having been restrained and assaulted, and was subsequently taken to the nearest hospital", police said in a statement.

"Both the alleged assailant and the minor presented several injuries caused by a bladed weapon but, despite vital signs still being detectable, death was declared at the scene moments later."

Police said the GNR (National Republican Guard) were called out after the alarm had been raised about what was feared to be a domestic violence situation, in the city of Tomar in central Portugal.

"Inside the house, there was a strong smell of gas which, moments later, resulted in an explosion that injured one of the GNR officers," the police statement added.

"The alleged perpetrator had already served a prison sentence for aggravated homicide, and the family had been flagged following domestic violence cases registered in 2022 and 2023."

Sport Club Operario de Cem Soldos's basketball team in Tomar paid tribute to Alfie, saying he will "always be in our hearts".

In a Facebook post, the club said: "(Alfie) played his last game on Saturday, played so well seemed like he knew it was his last game.

"We want to tell you how much we love you and that you will always be in our hearts."

Chamusca Basket Clube, the club Alfie had played against in Saturday's match, also posted a tribute on Facebook.

They wrote: "In this time of sorrow, we express our solidarity to the family, friends and all those who share this irreparable loss. May you find comfort in good memories and strength to face this difficult time."

The British Foreign Office said in a statement: "We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Portugal, and stand ready to provide consular support."

The incident took place in Whitchurch, Shropshire, just after 4am on Monday, with large amounts of water gushing on to surrounding land.

Three boats were affected and the fire service helped 12 people evacuate as they declared a major incident.

The clip shows the boat teetering on the brink and the sound of cracking wood, before it tips into a hole about 50m long.

Paul Smith-Storey, 58, described being woken by a "big crash" and a "massive roar of water".

"It felt like a disaster movie, especially when that boat dropped over the edge," he said.

"It's just incredible, these steel boats weigh about 17 tonnes and to see the force of water just carry that over the edge is quite scary."

Another boat owner, Phil Johnson, 56, said water was flying past at "horrendous speed" and he saw the boat "teetering on the edge" before slowly disappearing.

"It's awful to say but it reminded me of that horrible scene from the Titanic film, because that's what it was like, when the back goes down and the bow comes up, and it finally just slid into the hole," he added.

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There were no reports of injuries and fire service area manager Scott Hurford said it appeared people realised the water level was dropping and were able to start evacuating before they arrived.

The Canal and River Trust is trying to stabilise the site and secure the boats but says repair work on the embankment is likely to take at least six months.

The European Commission, which supervises tech regulation in Europe, said it has requested clarification about the move.

A spokesperson for the commission said it "strongly" condemns the US decision, adding: "Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and a shared core value with the United States across the democratic world."

The Europeans, who were labelled as "radical" activists by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, include the EU commissioner responsible for supervising social media rules, Thierry Breton.

Mr Breton, a former French finance minister, engaged in a social media dispute last year with tech billionaire Elon Musk over airing an online interview with Donald Trump in the months before the US election.

The other Europeans are Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, leaders of the German organisation HateAid, and Clare Melford, who runs the Global Disinformation Index.

Mr Rubio has said the five had advanced foreign government censorship campaigns against Americans and US companies, creating "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences" for the United States.

"If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures," the commission said in a statement, without elaborating.

"Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination," it said.

'Foundation of our vibrant European democracy'

The UK government said it is "fully committed to upholding the right to free speech", after Mr Ahmed, who has links to senior Labour figures, was named as one of the five sanctioned.

"While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions which are working to keep the internet free from the most harmful content," a UK government spokesperson said.

"Social media platforms should not be used to disseminate child sex abuse material, incite hatred and violence, or spread fake information and videos for that purpose."

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union will continue protecting freedom of speech.

"Freedom of speech is the foundation of our strong and vibrant European democracy. We are proud of it. We will protect it," she said in a post on social media.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the visa restrictions "amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty".

The EU's digital rules were adopted by "a democratic and sovereign process" involving all member countries and the European Parliament, he said in a post on X.

Mr Macron said the rules "ensure fair competition among platforms, without targeting any third country" and that "the rules governing the European Union's digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe".

'Rules not decided in Washington'

Mr Breton and the other Europeans were affected by a new visa policy announced in May that bars entry to foreigners accused of censoring protected speech in the United States.

Germany's justice ministry said the two German activists had the government's "support and solidarity" and that the visa bans on them were unacceptable.

"Anyone who describes this as censorship is misrepresenting our constitutional system," it said in a statement. "The rules by which we want to live in the digital space in Germany and in Europe are not decided in Washington."

A Global Disinformation Index spokesperson called the visa bans "an authoritarian attack on free speech and an egregious act of government censorship".

"The Trump administration is, once again, using the full weight of the federal government to intimidate, censor, and silence voices they disagree with," they said. "Their actions today are immoral, unlawful, and un-American."

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Breton is not the first French national to face sanctions from the Trump administration.

In August, Washington sanctioned French judge Nicolas Yann Guillou of the International Criminal Court over the tribunal's actions against Israeli leaders and a past probe into US officials.

It's been exactly a year since the 39-year-old was shot dead by a West Mercia Police officer on Christmas Eve 2024. His family say they are desperate for answers around his death.

"When they took my child away from me and Debbie, they took away our Christmases - we can't celebrate Christmas," Marcus's father Anthony Meade says.

Marcus was shot once in the chest after a five-hour stand-off with officers at a property in Redditch, Worcestershire.

On the day of the incident, it was reported that the father-of-two had been holding a knife.

Marcus's parents say he had suffered with mental health issues for several years, and on the day of the incident he had been home alone and only a danger to himself.

"Marcus was crying out for help that day," Anthony says. "He was talking about killing himself, but he was crying out for help."

West Mercia Police described his death as "tragic", adding it would not be appropriate to comment further as the force is subject to an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The IOPC has said it understands that "Mr Meade's family, quite rightly, seek answers to how events unfolded", adding that its investigation is "at an advanced stage".

"He was everything to me," says Marcus's mother Deborah Clarke. She said she now has to take "each day as it comes" as she copes with the loss of her son.

"We want justice," she added.

The family are being supported by Bishop Desmond Jaddoo, who went with the family to present a petition to the chief constable of West Mercia Police, calling for the suspension of the officer who fired the fatal shot.

"We need to get the answers," said Dr Jaddoo. "Someone needs to be held to account for what happened. We want to know what the decision-making processes were."

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An IOPC spokesperson said: "First and foremost, our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family and friends of Marcus Meade and all those affected by his tragic death at this difficult time.

"Our investigation is at an advanced stage, with a significant amount of work already undertaken. We recently received expert reports which analysed the planning and execution of the firearms operation as well as its tactical delivery and we are now considering our next steps.

"We understand that Mr Meade's family, quite rightly, seek answers to how events unfolded on 24 December 2024, which led to their devastating loss and we are fully committed to ensuring our investigation is as robust and thorough as possible."

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

We do not know the full details of this latest explosion but the fact these incidents keep happening will be highly embarrassing for the Kremlin.

Monday's car bomb that killed Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was the latest in a long line of high-profile hits on Russian soil since the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

Live updates: Ukraine war latest

When a top military official was killed in similar circumstances this time last year, by a bomb hidden in a scooter, Vladimir Putin criticised Russia's security services and told them they should learn from their mistakes.

It does not look like they have. Since then, there have been many more assassinations of senior officials - both in Moscow and further afield.

This latest killing of two police officers in the same area as Monday's attack only makes things worse.

It doesn't just look complacent. It's starting to appear incompetent.

Although Ukraine has been behind some of the attacks, in this case, it has not commented.

But could this have been Kyiv's way of trying to change the narrative in the peace talks? To show Donald Trump that Russia doesn't 'hold all the cards'?

The timing has certainly been helpful for Ukraine, coinciding with the latest negotiations. So perhaps it's no coincidence that Kyiv has seemingly made progress in convincing Washington to agree to a less punishing peace proposal.

Article 5-style security guarantees are a big win for Ukraine, as is an allowance to retain the strength of its armed forces.

They are yet to convince the US on territory, but it's still progress nonetheless.

Will Moscow agree to the other points? Don't hold your breath.

Russia's position "is well known", the Kremlin said, when asked for its reaction to the latest proposals, suggesting it remains unmoved in its opposition to a security guarantee involving foreign troops.

But even so, it seems the spotlight is back on Moscow.