Emails released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday shed new light on the closeness of the relationship between the disgraced financier and Lord Mandelson, who was sacked as British ambassador to Washington last year.
The documents include correspondence in September 2009 between Epstein and Lord Mandelson's husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, who asked the financier to pay him £10,000 to fund an osteopathy course and other expenses.
Epstein responds "I will wire your loan amount immediate'y" [sic].
Epstein files - latest updates
A few days later, Mr da Silva, who married Lord Mandelson in 2023, replied "thank you for the money which arrived in my account this morning".
Epstein was released from prison in July 2009, having pleaded guilty to trafficking a minor.
In separate emails, exchanged in December 2009, Lord Mandelson, then business secretary in Gordon Brown's government, appears to agree to try to change government policy on taxing bankers' bonuses.
Coming just 18 months after the great financial crash and subsequent state rescue of banks, the subject was highly contentious.
On 9 December 2009, the then chancellor Alistair Darling announced a 50% "super tax" on bonuses, intended to prevent pay being inflated by taxpayer-funded bailouts.
In an email exchange on 15 December, in which email addresses are redacted, Epstein asked Mandelson if the policy could be changed.
"any [sic] real chance of making the tax only on the cash portion of the bankers bonus," he wrote.
Lord Mandelson replied: "Trying hard to amend as I explained to Jes last night. Treasury digging in but I am on case."
Epstein responds: "let me know before jes please,,".
"Ok. They are not being helpful..." is the reply.
"they jpm. or they treasury," asks Epstein.
"Treasury" Mandelson replied.
"Jes" may be a reference to Jes Staley, the former chief executive of Barclays, who in 2009 was head of JP Morgan's investment bank and a close associate of Epstein's.
Mr Staley resigned from Barclays in 2020 after the Financial Conduct Authority launched an investigation into his conduct and the transparency of his disclosures about his relationship with Epstein.
Emails discuss career prospects and media coverage
Epstein and Lord Mandelson go on to discuss the then prime minister Gordon Brown's prospects at the election due the following May.
"gb [sic] needs help in may , not another enemy," writes Epstein.
"Or a car crash any earlier," writes Mandelson.
The email chain about Mr Brown is one of dozens between Epstein and Mandelson that reveal the closeness and length of the relationship.
Other exchanges released by the DoJ show the pair sharing regular messages about their whereabouts, making arrangements to meet in person, discussing Lord Mandelson's career options following Labour's 2010 election defeat, and joking about media coverage.
Read more:
Epstein files: The key findings so far
Analysis: Saying everything and nothing at the same time
In one, Lord Mandelson asks Epstein's view of his joining the Facebook board.
In another, Epstein sent a link to a Guardian article that proposed Lord Mandelson as a candidate to lead the International Monetary Fund, despite his having no central banking experience.
Epstein writes that he hopes the reporter "you encouraged to write this" is "cute".
"As it happens, I didn't. The Treasury did." replies Lord Mandelson.
Lord Mandelson, Jes Staley and the Treasury have been approached for comment.
One blast happened at Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, local media reported. One person, a four-year-old girl, was killed and a further 14 were injured.
A second blast, more than 1,000 kilometres away in Ahvaz, saw four people killed, local officials said.
Local media reports said both incidents were gas explosions and Israel has denied involvement.
Social media reports alleging a Revolutionary Guard navy commander was targeted in the Bandar Abbas explosion were "completely false", the semi-official Tasnim news agency said.
The blast hit an eight-storey building, causing serious damage to the first to third floors, Fars news agency reported.
Persian Gulf Radio claimed that several cars and a shop had also been damaged.
Rescue and firefighting teams are currently understood to be at the scene.
Footage taken by Fars shows the aftermath of the explosion - with glass and rubble strewn across the ground.
The port of Bandar Abbas lies on the Strait of Hormuz, which is a vital shipping route between Iran and Oman. It handles about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil.
It comes amid rising tension in the region as the US builds up its military presence nearby.
It also follows nationwide protests - prompted by economic issues but which quickly turned into an effort to overthrow the Iranian regime.
The protests were quickly stamped out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the number of people killed is thought to be in the thousands.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said a "large armada" was heading toward Iran, warning if the two countries don't make a deal "we'll see what happens".
Speaking to the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips show ahead of its being shown tomorrow, Michelle O'Neill said it was an opportunity for the people of Northern Ireland to "take control of our own fortunes".
Ms O'Neill was asked if she could imagine a so-called border poll during her time as first minister, and replied: "Yes, I absolutely can."
She said: "I think my party's view is that we should have this by 2030. I think that's only a short way away.
"So now is the time for the plan and the preparation."
The first minister added: "I don't want done to the people here what was done in relation to Brexit.
"Brexit was an economic self-harm, a massive act of economic self-harm.
"It was done against the wishes of the people."
She said: "We have an ability to take control of our own fortunes. I encourage all political leaders to reach for that together."
Her remarks appear to contradict what Ireland's premier Micheal Martin has said about the referendum.
In September, the Irish prime minister (taoiseach) said "there won't be a border poll before 2030".
Northern Ireland's deputy first minister also appeared on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips and said the nationalist and republican movements in Northern Ireland have not increased their vote share since Westminster devolved power to Northern Ireland in 1998.
Emma Little Pengelly said: "I'm a unionist, we have a Sinn Fein first minister. But I think it's important to say that in Northern Ireland nationalism and republicanism haven't increased their vote from 1998.
"Despite democratic change, they're sitting on and around the same percentage that they had in 1998. I think those who want to see the breakup of the union do try to constantly get this momentum.
"I have no doubt that you will hear that again because of course to serve their purpose is to try to get that sense of momentum towards that. That doesn't exist in Northern Ireland."
The full interviews with Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little Pengelly will be broadcast on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips from 8.30am.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning covering the South West from midday on Monday to 9am on Tuesday.
It comes after weeks of heavy rain and stormy conditions, with tens of thousands of people temporarily left without power in Cornwall at the start of January.
Earlier this week, a major incident was declared in Somerset as about 50 properties were hit by flooding caused by Storm Chandra, according to the county council.
As of 7pm on Saturday, there were already 57 government flood warnings (flooding is expected) across the South and 117 alerts (flooding is possible) in place, despite the Met Office warning for more severe rainfall not coming into force until Monday.
By that point, accumulations of 10-20mm of rainfall will be "possible fairly widely" in the South West, the Met Office said, "with perhaps as much as 30-50mm over Dartmoor", in Devon.
There is a small chance of homes and businesses flooding, and fast-flowing or deep floodwater could cause danger to life, the yellow warning added.
"Outbreaks of rain may become persistent on Monday, especially later in the day and overnight, before gradually easing and clearing into Tuesday," it said.
"Given saturated ground following recent rain, there is a chance this may leading to some flooding and disruption in places."
Sudden stratospheric warming event possible in February
Official statistics for rainfall in January are set to be released on Monday, but it has been a very wet month for large parts of the UK.
Sky News meteorologist Kirsty McCabe said parts of the South West, as well as Northern Ireland and eastern Scotland, had seen close to twice their typical January rainfall.
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Further ahead, there is a possibility of a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event in early February which could trigger a cold spell, she added.
This is when rapid warming occurs high up in the stratosphere, potentially causing knock-on effects in our weather at the surface.
While SSWs don't always result a cold snap, it greatly increases the risk of wintry weather, and they have been responsible for events like the Beast from the East in 2018.
Before this, government flood advice for the next few days has said ongoing groundwater flooding is "probable in parts of the South of England", while river flooding in the Somerset Levels wetland is also possible over the next five days.
"Land, roads and properties could flood and there could be travel disruption. Coastal flooding is also possible from Monday to Wednesday, especially on the coasts of the South West of England on Wednesday."
Meanwhile, in Ireland, clean-up operations have been under way after homes and roads were impacted by flooding.
Parts of Co Wexford were among the worst-hit areas - with people being advised to avoid Our Lady's Island following a landslide.
The casualties included two women and six children from two different families, officials at the hospitals which received the bodies say.
It marks one of the deadliest days in Gaza since a ceasefire was agreed in October.
Shifa Hospital said a strike in Gaza City killed a mother, three children and one of their relatives, while Nasser Hospital said a strike in a tent camp in Khan Younis caused a fire to break out, killing seven, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren.
Those strikes were reported early in the morning, before Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said another airstrike hit a police station in Gaza City, killing at least 14 more people and wounding others.
In a statement on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had "struck four commanders and additional terrorists from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organisations across the Gaza Strip".
It also said it struck a weapons storage facility, a weapons manufacturing site, and two launch sites belonging to Hamas in the central Gaza Strip.
The IDF claimed the attacks came after Israel found that Hamas had violated the ceasefire agreement on Friday when eight terrorists exited the "underground terror infrastructure" in eastern Rafah.
It repeated its claims that Hamas uses civilians as human shields, adding it would "continue to act against any attempt by terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip to carry out terror attacks against IDF troops and civilians of the State of Israel".
Both Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for breaching the ceasefire since it was agreed after two years of war.
Gaza's health ministry, which is run by the Hamas-led government, has recorded more than 500 Palestinian deaths by Israeli attacks since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October last year.
Strikes come just before Rafah crossing reopening
The latest strikes came a day before the Rafah crossing bordering Egypt, the main route in or out of Gaza for nearly all of the two million people who live there, was set to reopen.
All of Gaza's borders have been shut since the war began, though Rafah was briefly opened early in 2025 for the evacuation of sick and wounded Palestinians for treatment, as part of the previous ceasefire deal.
Palestinians see the Rafah crossing as a lifeline for the Gazans in need of treatment, because most medical infrastructure within the territory has been destroyed. The World Health Organization estimates nearly 20,000 people could need treatment.
Israel has kept the Rafah crossing closed in both directions since the ceasefire in October, demanding Hamas must abide by the agreement to return all hostages still in Gaza, living and deceased.
Read more: How Rafah crossings will work
The remains of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza, 24-year-old Ran Gvili, were retrieved around a week ago. He was killed at the Alumim kibbutz during the October 7 attacks in 2023, before his body was taken to Gaza.
Israeli officials have said the "limited reopening" on Sunday comes in line with US president Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan.
Sky News understands Israel will not put a limit on the number of people allowed to leave Gaza via the crossing, but will cap the number of people allowed to cross back into Gaza from Egypt at 150 per day.
Palestinian officials suggest that around 100,000 people have fled Gaza since the war began.