US and China set to meet for trade talks in London

Last month, Washington and Beijing agreed a temporary truce over trade tariffs but each country has since accused the other of breaching the deal.

Chinese exports of rare earths, which are crucial for modern technology, as well as Beijing's access to US products, including computer chips, are expected to be high on the agenda.

A senior US delegation including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will meet with Chinese representatives such as Vice Premier He Lifeng to resolve tensions between the world's two largest economies, which is threatening global growth.

A new round of talks aimed at resolving the trade war between the US and China is set take place in London on Monday.

The new round of negotiations follows a phone call between Donald Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping last week which the US President described as a "very good talk".

The call - the first between the two leaders since the trade war erupted in February - "resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries", Trump said.

According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Xi told Trump that the US should "withdraw the negative measures it has taken against China".

While last month's talks in Geneva reduced tariffs, they did not resolve a range of other issues including Chinese exports of rare earth metals and magnets which are essential for manufacturing everything from smartphones to electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, Washington has restricted China's access to US goods such as semiconductors and other related technologies linked to artificial intelligence (AI).

The inclusion of Lutnick in this week's meetings with China is "a welcome addition", according to Swetha Ramachandran, fund manager at Artemis, since he is "behind some of the very harsh export controls of technology to China".

She told the BBC's Today programme: "Some of the focus certainly seems to be on rare earths where China, of course, has dominance in terms of producing.

"They mine 69% of the rare earths globally that are quite essential to technology development in the US so I think there are enough chips on the table here that could make it acceptable for both sides to walk away with desired outcomes."

As well as Lutnick, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet Chinese officials in London.

When Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from a number of countries earlier this year, China was the hardest hit. Beijing responded with its own higher rates on US imports, and this triggered tit-for-tat increases that peaked at 145%.

In May, talks held in Switzerland led to a temporary truce that Trump called a "total reset".

It brought US tariffs on Chinese products down to 30%, while Beijing slashed levies on US imports to 10% and promised to lift barriers on critical mineral exports. It gave both sides a 90-day deadline to try to reach a trade deal.

But the US and China have since claimed breaches on non-tariff pledges.

Greer said China had failed to roll-back restrictions on exports of rare earth magnets.

Beijing said US violations of the agreement included stopping sales of computer chip design software to Chinese companies, warning against using chips made by Chinese tech giant Huawei and cancelling visas for Chinese students.

On Saturday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said it had approved some applications for rare earth export licences, although it did not provide details of which countries were involved.

Trump said on Friday that Xi had agreed to restart trade in rare earth materials.

But speaking on Sunday, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CBS News that "those exports of critical minerals have been getting released at a rate that is, you know, higher than it was, but not as high as we believe we agreed to in Geneva".

Economists have warned that Trump's trade policy will impact the global economy.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said it now expected worldwide economic growth to be a "modest" 2.9%, down from a previous forecast of 3.1%.

It blamed a "significant" rise in trade barriers and warned that "weakened economic prospects will be felt around the world, with almost no exception".

New data released by Bejing on Monday showed China's exports in May were lower than analysts expected.

China's exports in dollar terms increased by 4.8% compared to the same time last year.

At the same time imports dropped by 3.4%, which was much worse than the 0.9% fall predicted.

Trump travel ban barring citizens from 12 countries takes effect

The US president said the list could be revised if "material improvements" were made, while other countries could be added as "threats emerge around the world".

Nationals from a further seven countries - Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela - will face partial travel restrictions.

The order, which Trump signed last week, restricts the nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the US.

President Donald Trump's sweeping new travel ban which bars citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States came into effect at 00:00 ET (05:00 BST) on Monday.

It is the second time Trump has ordered a ban on travel from certain countries. He signed a similar order in 2017 during his first term in office.

The White House said these "common sense restrictions" would "protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors".

There are a number of people from affected countries who may still be able to enter the US due to a number of exceptions. The order does not apply to:

"Lawful permanent" US residents

Their immediate family members who hold immigrant visas

US government employees with Special Immigrant Visas

Adoptions

Dual nationals when the individual is not travelling on a passport from one of the affected countries

Afghan nationals holding Special Immigrant Visas

Holders of "immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran"

Foreign nationals travelling with certain non-immigrant visas

Athletes, their teams (including coaches and supporting staff), and their immediate family when travelling for major sporting events, such as the men's football World Cup in 2026 and the Summer 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles

In addition, the US Secretary of State may grant exemptions to individuals on a "case-by-case" basis, if "the individual would serve a United States national interest".

In a video posted to his Truth Social website last week, Trump said the recent attack in Boulder, Colorado "underscored the extreme dangers" posed by foreign nationals who had not been "properly vetted".

Twelve people were injured in Colorado on 1 June when a man attacked a group gathering in support of Israeli hostages. The FBI called it a suspected terror attack and said the suspect had used a makeshift flamethrower, Molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices.

The man accused of carrying out the attack was identified as an Egyptian national, but Egypt has not been included on the list of banned countries.

Trump's latest order, which is likely to face legal challenges, drew a swift response, at home and abroad.

Chad retaliated by suspending all visas to US citizens while Somalia promised to work with the US to address security issues.

The African Union, which represents all countries on the continent, called on the US to "engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned".

In the US, Democrats were quick to condemn the move.

"This ban, expanded from Trump's Muslim ban in his first term, will only further isolate us on the world stage," Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal wrote on social media.

But others support the ban.

Congressman Clay Higgins of Louisiana told the BBC that travel to the US was "a privilege, not a right".

Family of Cole Cooper 'shattered' after police find body

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Police Scotland Cole Cooper was last seen alive in the Banknock area in early May

The family of teenager Cole Cooper, who was missing for four weeks, have said their "worst fears have become reality" after the discovery of a body. Police notified the 19-year-old's relatives after the body was found in a wooded area near Cole's home village of Banknock, Falkirk, on Friday afternoon. In a statement Cole's family, who had planned a fresh search for Sunday, said they were "completely broken" following the news. They thanked all those who had supported them and joined searches for Cole, and said they were left with many unanswered questions.

In a post on social media, Cole's aunt Aimee Tennie said: "With shattered hearts, we share the devastating news that our beloved Cole, who was missing, has been found, but not in the way we hoped or prayed for. "We never gave up, and we will never give up—not until we have the answers. The fight for truth, for justice, and for Cole is not over. "Cole, you were our world and now our world will never be the same. "Your life was only just beginning. The world didn't get to know the light you carried, but we did and we will carry it with us, always."

Police Scotland Specialist search teams had been looking for Cole

Cole was reported missing on Friday 9 May. Detectives previously said they had a confirmed witness sighting of him at about 20:45 on 7 May in the nearby village of Longcroft, near Banknock. Prior to that he had been captured on CCTV at several locations in Longcroft, in the early hours of Sunday 4 May, after he had left a party in Denny. Police spoke to almost 400 residents through door-to-door inquiries and more than 2,000 hours of CCTV have been seized. Officers earlier said that numerous potential sightings, images and other possible lines of inquiry had been passed directly to the investigation team since a dedicated online information portal was set up.

Timeline of Cole's disappearance

Missing Indian bride arrested for allegedly murdering husband on honeymoon

47 minutes ago Share Save Geeta Pandey • @geetapandeybbc BBC News, Delhi Share Save

Raghuvanshi family Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi were married on 11 May

Police in India say a woman, who had gone missing after her husband was found brutally murdered during their honeymoon, is in custody after she surrendered. The families of the couple had alleged that the bride had also either been killed or abducted and mounted a huge campaign to find her. Police now allege that Sonam Raghuvanshi, 25, hired killers to murder her 30-year-old husband Raja during their trip to the tiny north-eastern state of Meghalaya. Four men have also been arrested. Sonam's father Devi Singh has defended his daughter saying "she is innocent and she cannot do this".

The newly-wed couple from Indore city in the central state of Madhya Pradesh had chosen Meghalaya for their honeymoon because they had heard it had "very beautiful valleys", Raja's brother Sachin Raghuvanshi told the BBC, the weekend before Sonam's arrest. The couple had married on 11 May in Indore in a ceremony blessed by both their families. "Their marriage was arranged four months back and they were both happy and there had been no fights between the couple before or after marriage," Raja's other brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said. The couple left for Meghalaya on 20 May. But four days into their trip, they went missing. Police and disaster relief teams, accompanied by local people, searched for the couple. Videos from the area showed rescuers rappelling down hills and cliffs in valleys covered in mist. Officials said rain and low visibility were hampering the search operations. A week later, Raja's decomposed body was found in a gorge with his throat slit and his wallet, a gold ring and a chain missing. And Sonam had disappeared without a trace. Their families mounted a huge campaign, accusing the Meghalaya police of not doing enough to solve Raja's murder or find Sonam - an accusation contested by the state's chief minister. The couple's families demanded that the case be handed over to the federal police for a proper investigation and met influential caste leaders and federal ministers in their home state to lobby for this. Last Friday, they also wrote a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver justice for Raja and find Sonam.

Raghuvanshi family Their families say the couple had an arranged marriage and seemed happy

UK proposes wider ban on destructive ocean bottom trawling

Just now Share Save Esme Stallard Climate and science correspondent Reporting from UN Oceans conference in Nice, France Victoria Bourne BBC News Share Save

Getty Images

A ban on a "destructive" type of fishing that drags large nets along the seafloor could be extended across English waters, the government has said. The proposal would expand the ban on bottom trawling from 18,000km2 to 48,000km2 (around 18,500 sq miles) of the UK's offshore areas that are already designated as protected. The plan is subject to a 12-week industry consultation. A UN Ocean Conference begins in France today amid warnings from Sir David Attenborough that bottom trawling is destroying areas of the seabed and marine life. A major goal of the conference is for more countries, including the UK, to ratify a treaty to put a third of international waters into protected areas by 2030.

Speaking before the summit, Sir David told Prince William he was "appalled" by the fishing method. The naturalist's latest documentary Ocean With David Attenborough showed new footage of a bottom trawling net bulldozing through silt on the seafloor and scooping up species indiscriminately. Last week, MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee renewed calls to ban bottom trawling, dredging and mining for aggregates on the seabed in what are known as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The extension proposed by the government would cover 41 of England's 181 MPAs, and would protect rare marine animals and the delicate seabed they rely upon. It says it has carried out detailed assessments into the harms caused to habitats and species. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said "without urgent action our oceans will be irreversibly destroyed". A 12-week consultation will run until 1 September and will seek the views of the marine and fishing industry. Ariana Densham, head of oceans at Greenpeace UK, said the consultation was "ultimately a long-overdue completion of a process started by the previous government". The Wildlife Trust said it hoped the extended ban would be put in place "rapidly". It would be a "win-win for both nature and the climate," added the trust's director of policy and public affairs, Joan Edwards. Pressure is also building for more countries to ratify the High Seas Treaty at the Ocean Conference in Nice. The treaty was agreed by 193 countries two years ago to put 30% of international waters into protected areas. The treaty will not come into force until it is ratified by 60 countries. It was announced at the opening of the conference that an additional 15 countries had ratified the treaty on Monday, but that only brings the figure to 47. The UK is among those countries that has yet to ratify.

Christian Hartmann/AFP/Getty Images President Macron opened the UN Oceans Conference calling for a moratorium on deep sea mining

President Macron, whose country is co-hosting the conference with Costa Rica, shared the news with governments in attendance at the conference - it was met with cheers from the room. He and his counterpart President Rodrigo Chaves both also spoke of their concern about deep sea mining, and called for a moratorium. "The ocean is not for sale. We're talking about a common shared good," President Macron said."I think it's madness to launch predatory economic action that will disrupt the deep seabed, disrupt biodiversity, destroy it." He was speaking in reference to the decision made by President Trump in April to begin issuing permits to drill in the deep sea - in the hope that critical minerals could be retrieved. This goes against a decade-long international negotiation to get global agreement on how any resources from the deep sea could be shared. China called the move, at the time, was a "violation" of international law. More than 2,000 marine scientists have recommended that deep sea exploration is temporarily stopped until there is further research to understand the potential impacts on ecosystems.

Two murder arrests after boy, 14, stabbed to death

19 minutes ago Share Save Lynette Horsburgh BBC News Share Save

BBC Police cordons included the Fairway Inn in New Moston

Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed, police have said. Police, paramedics and an air ambulance were called to Nevin Road in the New Moston area of Manchester at about 17:00 BST on Sunday. The boy, who was found with stab wounds, later died in hospital, added Greater Manchester Police (GMP). Two boys - aged 14 and 16 - were arrested on suspicion of murder while a 14-year-old girl and a 37-year-old woman were detained on suspicion of assisting an offender.

JMG Press Forensics teams have been examining the area

A GMP spokesperson said all four suspects remained in custody for questioning following the "distressing and heartbreaking incident [in which] a boy has lost his life". After he was stabbed, the boy reportedly ran to a nearby house. According to a resident quoted by the Manchester Evening News, the teenager said: "I don't want to die. "He just came through the door and said 'I've been stabbed'. "We sat him down on a chair and phoned an ambulance." "He just kept saying 'I don't want to die'."

A police cordon remains in place around the Fairway Inn

Several areas have been cordoned off, including outside the Fairway Inn on the corner of Nuthurst Road and Broadway. Det Ch Insp John Charlton said the incident had "shocked and saddened" the local community and "distressed anyone who witnessed it". He said: "We are deploying significant resources to this murder investigation, and this led to quickly identifying potential suspects. "We are still trying to establish the full circumstances around the incident. "There will be a large police presence and several scenes in place while we continue to investigate this horrific incident. "The boy's family are being supported by our officers and we are determined to give them the answers they deserve." GMP appealed for "information, doorbell or dashcam footage, or eyewitness accounts from anyone who was in the area at the time".

Fran Hicklin said crowds of people gathered near her home

Fran Hicklin, 80, lives near the Fairway Inn, which remains cordoned off by police "crime scene" tape. She told the BBC she returned home after 18:00 on Sunday to see crowds of people in the street. "When I got out of my car there was crowds along my fence at the front," she said. Ms Hicklin said she asked a man what was going on because "there were police all over at the pub". She said the man had told her that a young boy had been stabbed. Ms Hicklin said she was worried about knife crime, not least because she has grandsons. "I'm very wary about them growing up in this world."

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More on this story Murder inquiry launched as teenager dies