British-American influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate - who are facing trial in Romania on charges including human trafficking - have arrived in the US after Romanian prosecutors lifted a two-year travel ban.

Andrew, 38, and his brother Tristan, 36, have strongly denied the allegations against them. The two departed Bucharest on a private jet early on Thursday and arrived in Florida hours later, with Andrew telling reporters they are "misunderstood".

Romanian prosecutors stressed the case against them had not been dropped and that they remain "under judicial control" - meaning they have to regularly report to authorities and are expected to return to Romania.

However their exit has sparked concerns that prosecutors felt political pressure from the Trump administration. The US president said he knew nothing about the Tate brothers being released from Romania.

The Tate brothers are accused of human trafficking and forming an organised group to sexually exploit women in Romania. Andrew Tate is also accused of rape.

In the US they also face a civil case from a woman who alleges the brothers coerced her into sex work, and then defamed her after she gave evidence to Romanian authorities.

The brothers also face separate charges in the UK of rape and human trafficking. They deny all the allegations against them.

Upon arrival, Andrew Tate told reporters: "We live in a democratic society where it's innocent until proven guilty and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood."

"There's a lot of opinions about us, a lot of things that got around about us on the internet," he said, adding that they are "yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever".

The brothers declined to answer questions about their release and Trump's role in them being allowed into the US.

A lawyer for the Tate brothers, Joseph McBride, said they will return to Romania at the end of March to meet the prosecutor before returning to the US.

"They feel secure in America for several reasons, the primary one being that Donald Trump is the president. As a result, they are excited to call America their home again," Mr McBride said in a statement.

Speaking in the White House after their plane landed, Trump said he knew nothing about the Tate brothers being released from Romania.

Asked if his administration pressured the Romanian government to release them, he said: "I know nothing about that. I don't know, you're saying he's on a plane right now?"

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was sitting next to Trump in the White House, said: "There's an English element here, so obviously it's important justice is done, and human trafficking is obviously, to my mind, a security risk."

On Thursday, the brothers arrived at Fort Lauderdale in Florida around 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) and were seen disembarking the aircraft.

Their arrival follows comments made by Trump administration figures earlier this month.

The Tates have regularly posted messages in support of Trump, and Tristan Tate has said his brother's role in persuading "millions of young men" to back him "cannot be overlooked".

Romania's Foreign Minister has also told Romanian TV that Trump's envoy for special missions had raised the brothers during a conversation at the Munich Security Conference in Germany a fortnight ago.

Emil Hurezeanu said his discussion with Richard Grenell had been informal and he did not consider the approach "a form of pressure". Grenell told the Financial Times his support for the brothers was evident from his "publicly available tweets".

However, women who have brought sexual abuse allegations against the Tate brothers said last week they were "extremely concerned" by reports that US officials had asked Romania to relax travel restrictions for the men.

Andrew Tate is a self-described misogynist who has attracted millions of followers online, despite being previously banned from social media platforms for expressing his views.

He and his brother were first arrested in Romania in December 2022, with Andrew accused of rape and human trafficking and Tristan suspected of human trafficking.

They both denied the charges and spent several months under house arrest. A year later, in August 2024, they faced new allegations including sex with a minor and trafficking underage persons, all of which they deny.

A former kickboxer who had appeared on UK TV show Big Brother, Andrew had moved from the UK to Romania several years ago. However police in Bedfordshire are still seeking his extradition on separate and unrelated allegations of rape and human trafficking, as well as tax evasion.

In the UK, four British women have filed a civil case against Andrew Tate in the UK High Court, alleging that he raped and coercively controlled them. Tate denies all the allegations against him.

Those plaintiffs said it was clear he would not face criminal prosecution in Romania and appealed to UK authorities to take action.

"We are in disbelief and feel re-traumatised by the news that the Romanian authorities have given into pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel around Europe and to the US," the women said in a statement.

Elena Lasconi, who is running for the Romanian presidency in May's elections, six months after they were controversially cancelled, has called for the immediate resignation of the head of Romania's organised crime investigations directorate DIICOT, which made the decision to let the brothers leave.

"I am outraged!" she wrote on social media, "as a woman, a human being and a Romanian." Lasconi said prosecutors should explain publicly whether their decision had come as a result of external pressure.

Prosecutors from DIICOT have emphasised that the judicial conditions for the brothers have not changed.

Any violation of those obligations made in bad faith "may lead to the replacement of judicial control with a higher measure of deprivation of liberty", it said in a statement in Romanian.

Following a successful court appeal on Wednesday, the brothers also had multiple assets returned to them which had originally been seized by authorities - including six properties, six cars, and frozen bank accounts.

This comes after court limitations were "modified in order to allow the brothers to travel to the USA," the statement from the Tates' representative said.

The Tates are understood to be required to return to Bucharest at the end of March to satisfy the prosecutors' terms, however it is too early to say whether they will comply with them.

Romania is both a member of the European Union and a key Nato member state on the Western alliance's eastern flank. It has an extradition treaty with the US.

Senior Trump figures have also had the government in Bucharest in their sights over the court ruling that annulled last December's presidential election. Romanian intelligence services said far-right candidate Calin Georgescu had been supported by a flurry of TikTok accounts engineered by Russia.

Georgescu was indicted on Wednesday for attempted "incitement to acts against the constitutional order". He has denied any wrongdoing and has previously called the election annulment a "formalised coup d'etat". Prosecutors are still investigating the allegations of election fraud.

Catholics gathered to pray for the health of the Pope beneath the steps of St Peter's Basilica for a third night, as his doctors said his condition showed further slight improvement.

Nuns dangling rosary beads, tourists and student priests were among those who joined the gentle incantation of the rosary in the Vatican.

They were led by a cardinal in a scarlet skull cap who prayed for Pope Francis to be able to resume his duties as soon as possible.

The nightly gatherings began on Monday after the 88-year-old's health took a dramatic dip at the weekend. He was fighting to breathe and needed blood transfusions.

But the latest statements suggest the Pope is able to sit in his chair, is eating normally and even doing what the Vatican calls "light work": reading and signing documents.

"It was a bit scary last weekend but a bit better now," Stacey, a medical student from Paris, told the BBC.

She was attending the prayers for the Pope for a second time.

"Francis is very popular with young people because he's really open, and in a world that became a little scary, he gives us a lot of hope."

Xiomara, from Panama, said she felt drawn to this Pope in particular as he was "a good man".

"Prayers always help, they don't just hang in the air," she believes.

Leading the rosary from beneath a white canopy was Cardinal Battista Re.

He's the figure in the Vatican who would call a conclave - the closed gathering of senior clergy that elects a Pope - if Francis were not able to continue in the role.

Despite the slight improvement, the Pope's medical team are still giving no prognosis.

He was admitted to Gemelli hospital on 14 February with double-pneumonia and, according to the Vatican, a CT scan of his lungs shows a "normal evolution" which suggests he is responding to treatment.

We're told he still uses additional oxygen but has suffered no further "respiratory crises".

The tone of Vatican officials has certainly relaxed a little.

On Tuesday, the Pope's condition was described as "stable", which was new. By Wednesday evening there was a "further slight improvement" and the update omitted to say "critical" for the first time.

Vatican officials cautioned that didn't mean the Pope was out of the woods.

But with so little to go on, those following his condition closely are wringing every word - or missing word - for meaning.

Inevitably, many have also been wondering about the future.

The Pope was frail even before this infection, so there has been speculation over whether he might resign.

The Quotidiano Nazionale newspaper calls it the "fluttering of crows" over St Peter's, inevitable at the "sunset" of any Papacy.

It's even louder this time since Benedict XVI set a precedent and stepped down in 2013, the first Pope to do so in six centuries.

Francis has said before that he would consider resigning if he can't carry out his duties.

"His instinct will be to carry on as long as he can and is able to," believes Austen Ivereigh, who co-authored a book with Pope Francis.

"He's shown he doesn't mind being a weak and frail Pope; he can be a Pope in a wheelchair, or one who gets ill regularly and that's ok."

All the same, if his health prognosis were too bad, the author said, "then the [resignation] issue might arise."

Even with Francis confined to the Gemelli hospital, the well-oiled Vatican cogs continue to turn. The bureaucracy functions and the Pope has been signing some documents.

On Monday, his secretary of state and another senior official visited.

Officially, the Pope signed papers, moving a list of candidates further along the path towards sainthood.

But some question why they couldn't wait, given the frailty of the Pope, and wonder what other plans were discussed at that meeting.

As Francis enters his 14th day in hospital, pilgrims to Rome are already experiencing life without him. His weekly audience, or meeting, with the faithful was cancelled for the second week.

"We really want him to get better and continue the amazing work he's started," said Mabi.

She mentions the foregrounding of women in the church in particular.

"He's a people's Pope and people want his work to continue."

"We're sorry, because we hoped to meet the Pope today at an audience – we had tickets," Fr Cristiano said.

Around him almost 100 Catholics from northern Italy were gathering to begin processing up the street towards St Peter's behind a large wooden crucifix.

"I'm not disappointed, I'm just worried for him," the priest said. "Today the news is not so bad, but it's not so good, either. So we need to pray."

US President Donald Trump says he will revoke a license which allowed Venezuela to export some of its oil to the US despite sanctions.

The move is a major blow to the Venezuelan government as the license provided it, through joint ventures between the state-run oil company and US oil giant Chevron, with a crucial income in dollars.

Trump said he was revoking the licence - which gave Chevron permission to operate in Venezuela - because the government of Nicolás Maduro had failed to meet "electoral conditions" and had not transported "violent criminals" deported from the US at a quick enough pace.

Venezuela called the decision "damaging" and said it could increase migration to the US.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, writing that he was "hereby reversing the concessions that Crooked Joe Biden gave to Nicolás Maduro, of Venezuela, on the oil transaction agreement, dated November 26, 2022".

He did not clarify which concessions he was referring to, but the only licence related to Venezuela granted that day was the one issued by the US treasury authorising Chevron to "resume limited natural resource extraction operations in Venezuela".

The licence allowed Chevron to operate joint ventures with Venezuela's state-controlled oil company PDVSA, but barred the US company from paying "any taxes or royalties to the Government of Venezuela".

Chevron's spokesman Bill Turenne said in a statement on Wednesday that "Chevron conducts its business in Venezuela in compliance with all laws and regulations, including the sanctions framework provided by US government".

In a recent interview with the Financial Times newspaper, Chevron Chief Executive Mike Wirth argued that if Chevron was forced to pull out of Venezuela, it would allow companies from China and Russia to increase their presence and influence there.

He also warned that Venezuela's economy could suffer more if Chevron left the country, which could drive further migration to the US.

The Venezuelan opposition, on the other hand, has in the past argued for the licence to be revoked, arguing that it provides the Maduro government with "a financial lifeline".

The licence was granted in 2022 by the Biden Administration in an attempt to entice the Maduro government to allow free and fair elections.

It remained in place even after Venezuela's government-aligned electoral council declared Maduro the winner of the presidential election in July 2024 - a result which has been refuted by the opposition and by a number of countries, including the US, which have recognised Maduro's rival as the legitimate winner instead.

President Trump's announcement came less than a month after his envoy, Richard Grenell, met with Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

During his visit, Grenell secured the release of six US citizens who had been held in Venezuela, as well as a deal under which the Maduro government sent planes to the US to fetch deported Venezuelans.

In his Truth Social post, Trump said "the regime has not been transporting the violent criminals that they sent into our Country (the Good Ole' U.S.A.) back to Venezuela at the rapid pace that they had agreed to".

He added he was "therefore ordering that the ineffective and unmet Biden 'Concession Agreement' be terminated" as of 1 March.

Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez warned that US sanctions had in the past led to an increase of Venezuelans migrating to the US and that this was likely to happen again.

Stopping undocumented migration has been one of Trump's main priorities since taking office.

The announcement had a swift effect on oil prices, which rose more than 1% on Thursday.

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife appeared to have been dead for "quite a while" when the couple and their dog were found dead on Wednesday afternoon at their home in the US state of New Mexico, police say.

Hackman, 95, was discovered in a side room near the kitchen of the house in Santa Fe, while his wife Betsy Arakawa, a 64-year-old classical pianist, was found in a bathroom.

Authorities reported no signs of injury but deemed the deaths "suspicious enough" to investigate and have not ruled out foul play. No cause of death was given.

In a wide-ranging career, Hackman won two Academy Awards for The French Connection and Unforgiven.

Three of Hackman's children confirmed the death of their father and Ms Arakawa in a statement to the BBC.

"He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss," Elizabeth, Leslie and Annie Hackman said.

Warning: This story contains details some readers may find upsetting

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's office confirmed the deaths.

"On 26 February, 2025, at approximately 1:45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and a dog were found deceased," the office said.

In a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Adan Mendoza said: "It sounds like they had been deceased for quite a while, and I don't want to guess in reference to how long that was."

He added: "There was no immediate sign of foul play. Haven't ruled that out yet.

"This is an investigation, so we're keeping everything on the table."

A sheriff's detective who responded to the scene said that they believed the couple had been dead for some time because of Ms Arakawa's "decomposition" and "mummification" in the hands and feet.

"The male decedent also showed obvious signs of death, similar and consistent with the female decedent," said the search warrant.

Near Ms Arakawa's head was a portable heater, which the detective determined could have been brought down in the event that she abruptly fell to the ground.

A prescription bottle and scattered pills were on the bathroom countertop close to her body. The couple's German Shepherd dog was found dead in a bathroom closet near to Ms Arakawa.

Hackman was discovered wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a blue long-sleeve T-shirt and brown slippers. Sunglasses and a walking cane were next to the body.

The detective suspected that the actor had fallen suddenly.

The circumstances of their death were "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation", said the search warrant, because the person who called emergency services found the front door of the property open.

But the detective observed no sign of forced entry into the home. Nothing appeared out of place inside. Neither was there any indication that belongings had been rummaged through, or that any items had been removed.

Two other, healthy dogs were discovered roaming the property - one inside and one outside.

The local utility responded and found no sign of a gas leak in the area. The fire department detected no indication of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning, according to the search warrant.

The detective spoke at the scene to two maintenance workers, one of whom had called the emergency services.

The two workers said they sometimes conducted routine work at the property, but rarely ever saw the couple.

They indicated that they communicated with them by phone and text, primarily with Ms Arakawa.

The two workers said they last had contact with the couple two weeks beforehand.

A recording of the 911 call obtained by the BBC shows the emotional caller telling a dispatcher how he found the two bodies.

"No, they're not moving," he says in the audio. "Just send somebody out here really quick."

The person, who made the call while standing outside the property and peering in through a window, is heard saying "damn" repeatedly.

Hackman won the best actor Oscar for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's 1971 thriller The French Connection, and another for best supporting actor for playing Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven in 1992.

A relative latecomer to Hollywood, Hackman's breathrough came in his thirties, when he was nominated for an Oscar for portraying Buck Barrow in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde - opposite Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway - and again for I Never Sang for My Father in 1970.

Both films saw him recognised in the supporting actor category. He was also nominated for best leading actor in 1988 for playing the FBI agent in Mississippi Burning.

He played more than 100 roles during his career, including supervillain Lex Luthor in the Christopher Reeve-starring Superman movies in the 1970s and 1980s.

Hackman featured opposite many other Hollywood heavyweights including Al Pacino in 1973's Scarecrow and Gene Wilder in 1974's Young Frankenstein.

His last big-screen appearance came as Monroe Cole in Welcome to Mooseport in 2004, after which he stepped back from Hollywood for a quieter life in New Mexico.

Pamela Anderson has had her fair share of ups and down over her career.

So that might explain why she's so stoic about missing out on an Oscar nomination for her role in The Last Showgirl.

“The win is the work,” the Canadian actress told BBC News.

“You couldn't have told me I'd be here a decade ago, so this is very exciting for me, to even be in the conversation.”

Anderson, 57, did manage to score nominations at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards for her part in Gia Coppola’s film about a fading Las Vegas dancer.

But she is not in the running for the Academy Awards, which take place this Sunday in Los Angeles.

“I just wish everybody well,” she said.

“I think anybody, any actor, realises that all of this is about having another chance to be able to perform and share your talent with the world.”

Anderson rose to prominence on the 1990s TV series Baywatch.

The lifeguard drama became the most-watched television show in the world at the time, and it's still the role she's best known for.

But in the three decades since she first ran along the California beaches, fans and critics have become acquainted with different parts of Anderson's life story including Playboy covers, a leaked sex tape and many marriages.

In 2022, Hulu series Pam & Tommy told the story of how Anderson and now ex-husband Tommy Lee's sex tape was stolen and illegally distributed in the mid-90s.

Anderson later criticised the series in an interview with Variety, describing it as "shocking" and calling for the people behind it to apologise to her.

Now, she's starring in a new film which is also about second chances.

In The Last Showgirl, the lead character Shelly, played by Anderson, must plan for her future after her show abruptly closes.

Plenty of critics have drawn parallels with Anderson’s own life in the spotlight, and she doesn't dispute this.

“I think that’s what drew me to the project, that it was so relatable on so many levels,” Anderson said of the film.

She added that its central theme, of struggling to make your career work as a woman in later middle age, was something "many generations of women" had faced.

In the film, Shelly is portrayed as having a strained relationship with her daughter Hannah.

Shelly's career as a showgirl means she often works late, causing her to miss important moments like bedtime with Hannah.

That, too, is something that Anderson says she can relate to.

She shares two sons, Brandon Thomas, 28, and Dylan Jagger, 27, with her ex-husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.

She said that for all working mums, there's "no proper way" to be a parent while also following your dreams and pursuing your career.

“So this movie is, I think, in a very vulnerable space.

“And it was an interesting role to play with all her imperfections and selfishness and selflessness. And it was a lot of layers and nuances to the character that I could really relate to.”

The Last Showgirl has received a mixed reception from critics, though most have praised Anderson's performance.

The New York Times called it "sensitive and beguiling" and described Anderson as "dazzling". But the Guardian awarded it just one star, calling it "a big disappointment".

Many have also described the role as Anderson's "comeback". She doesn't reject the term, but says she prefers to see it as "a new chapter".

"I've always been fascinated with the craft of acting," she said. "[But] my personal life kind of took me off course, and I raised two beautiful boys."

She's not the only actress to be back in the spotlight this season.

Demi Moore is nominated for best actress at the Oscars for her role in The Substance, a body horror which has revitalised her career.

"I'm really happy for Demi," Anderson said. "I think she's earned her place. And you have to earn it. You have to fight for it."

With so many strong female protagonists in this year's films, I'm curious what Anderson now thinks of Baywatch.

The show has long been criticised for its portrayal of its female characters, who, many argued, were sexualised and denied meaningful plot lines.

"I didn't see it like that at all. I thought it was quite innocent and wholesome and, and fun to watch," she said.

"I always felt like I was surrounded by such incredible people, lifeguards that were also firemen or firewomen. It was really, really, empowering."

Anderson has always been seen to embody a look that rose to prominence in the 90s - skinny, blonde, and enhanced by plastic surgery.

But in recent years, she has been sporting a "no-makeup" look, choosing instead to embrace her natural appearance.

"My beauty routine is rest. And so that's more important to me these days," she told me.

She said it's not that she's against makeup, but more that she thinks "there's a time and a place" for it.

"This chapter, for me, has been about self-acceptance and finding out who I am. What are my original thoughts? What do I have to give?" she said.

"I know I have a lot more to give in this world, in this industry too, and I feel like even I have to remember who I am to start with and then hopefully, play characters in films and not in my personal life."